The Fairest Lady
by Demented Insane Spirit
Summary: YamixAnzuxBakura; AU; The prince, Yami, is engaged to Princess Anzu, but when his sister, Mai, chases her from the kingdom and what she considers her rightful throne, Anzu is forced to live in the forest where she meets the dark sorcerer, Bakura.
1. Chapter One

DIS: I'm just full of these, aren't I? I'm not sure if this plot is overused, but if it is, so be it! I have a tendency to make things abnormal. (wink) Also, I dedicate this entirely to my friend, Fox-san, as she has been craving a Bakura/Anzu story for some time I promised a long time ago to write one. Please read below for **full summary** and warnings.

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_Title: The Fairest Lady_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance/Drama_

_Summary: AU; Prince Yami is engaged to Princess Anzu, but when his sister, a sorceress, Mai, chases her from the kingdom and what she considers her rightful thrown, Anzu is forced to live in the forest where she meets the sorcerer, Bakura. Only he can help her defeat Mai. In the end, however, she realizes she is faced with a hard decision: to return to her fiancé or remain with Bakura, a man she has fallen in love with? _

_Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh, though I do own some ideas to this plot_

_Notes/Warning: Yami/Anzu/Bakura; AU; fantasy; mild mature content; dedicated to Fox-san_

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_The Fairest Lady_

_Prologue_

The Prince Yami of Kraion glanced at his father, his brow furrowing the slightest bit. His sister was seated beside him, the most elegant and beautiful female boasted throughout their country. The trial for the sorcerer seated in the middle of the room on a dais had gone on for hours. He had never questioned his father's reasoning, but he felt that this trial was being purposely drawn out to torture the man in question. However, the sorcerer hardly seemed agitated or bothered by his prolonged sentence.

The Judgment Hall was enforced with powerful, ancient magic of Yami's ancestors, none of which he or his father possessed. The magic had been passed through his mother's blood, so that Mai was the only living sorceress in their family. Mai had always been a bit of a tiring sister, as she was entirely vain and rather self-centered. He did feel some regret, as she was the eldest and since he had been born, his parents doted on him. She could barely get their father's attention any longer, and the same had been for their mother when she was alive. He suspected she hated him for that.

The prince had always disliked the sorcerer – it was why he had initially held no pity for the man – and one glance at his comfortable stance made his resent him so much more than before. Because of the magical barrier around the Hall, he was left without any bindings and was lounging in the hard-backed seat. Yami supposed some might consider the sorcerer handsome; he did not wear robes as most sorcerers did, preferring the casual silk trappings of a nobleman. His hair, cropped short so that it went only a bit past his chin, was dirty blonde, framing a face that was full of strength and arrogance. His eyes were what annoyed Yami the most. They were often amused and taunting, the gray-blue depths glittering from beneath his fringe. Almost always were they accompanied by a saucy smirk.

Yami was quite familiar with that look. It was generally directed towards him.

At the moment, however, the sorcerer was lazily smiling up at his father, seeming completely at ease. If one did not acknowledge where they were and ignore the irritated expression on the king's face, one might conclude they were having a rather interesting conversation.

"Sorcerer Bakura," the king finally intoned, his voice hard. "You are aware of your offenses."

"Indeed," Bakura drawled in reply, dismissing him with a look, raising a hand and inspecting his bejeweled fingers. "I believe you have continuously listed them. I am an honest man, so of course I would not _lie_ about what I did." He glanced at him and then let out a brief laugh. "Well...Actually, yes, I would. So, I must be lying and did not do any of those things." He laughed again, sharing a private joke with himself. His eyes flickered to Yami, who met the gaze with ill-disguised hatred. Bakura grinned up at him, tauntingly. He returned to look at the eldest in the royal family. "Come now," he soothed, "what have I done, really, that is so bad? I killed a few people, I stole some herbs, and cast dark magic. I'm sure you've done worse in your lifetime."

"Silence!" Bakura obliged him, although it was clear that it was not because of his words. He smiled up at him, a falsely innocent expression on his face. "Dark magic alone sentences you to death." He paused for effect. There was no change in Bakura's expression. "You are far too dangerous for my kingdom of Kraion – for any kingdom. You shall be executed."

"Is that your final judgment?" Bakura asked him.

"Yes."

"How fascinating," he murmured. "And you actually think that I am simply going to allow you and your feeble sorcerers to eliminate me?" He raised a hand, waving a finger in reprimand. "Tsk, tsk, tsk...You should know better than that." He rose to his feet, his cloak, the only remotely sorcerer-like thing adorning him, fluttering behind him. Yami leaned forward anxiously, his eyes narrowing on Bakura. "Your son even has the wits to be cautious. This barrier of yours is made of pure, _innocent_ magic." A most maniacal leer slipped Bakura's lips upward, causing a great deal of unease amongst those in the Hall and especially for the king. Yami instantly knew that Bakura had descended so deep into the dark arts that the barrier surrounding the Hall could be easily broken by him.

None of them could do anything about it.

Desperately, he whipped around to look at Mai. She was sitting serenely beside him, appearing entertained by the happenings. "Mai – do something!" She glanced at him from beneath thick lashes.

"I prefer not to get involved when things become troublesome," she loftily replied. She smiled sweetly at him, turning back to gaze down at Bakura. He stared at her, horrified, and more than a bit frustrated at his own lack of magical skills. When he returned his gaze to Bakura, his cloak was fluttering by an unseen wind. Bakura raised his hand, the fingers holding jewels of every colour, saluting them. The jewels twinkled and darkness flooded from his feet, surging to cover the walls and drown them. The last thing Yami saw before his sight failed was Bakura sending him a familiar, triumphant smirk.

Once the darkness faded, letting in the afternoon light, everyone scrambled to attention, save for his sister. Mai merely tilted her head and looked to her family that was gawking at the empty chair on the dais.

"He's gone," she stated pleasantly.

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter One_

Yami pushed back his coat, settling his hands on his narrow hips. Beside him was Jounouchi, his childhood friend, and also a trusted soldier. The Forest of Dim had grown increasingly difficult to travel through in the past months. His fiancée had made it through with a few casualties, as the animals were growing violent and attacking humans ruthlessly. Even if things had not worked out, it would have been near impossible to get Anzu back to Siruean, her home country. Nonetheless, he knew she would eventually have to return for political reasons, not to mention how much she cherished her family. He had to deal with the forest and discover the core of the problem before too long.

"Dunno what could possibly be going wrong in there," Jounouchi told him presently, scratching the back of his head. The two of them had met in the back of the royal gardens, where the lavender grew most abundantly, and where it was generally empty of any other people. Yami did not have the patience to be interrupted by other people during this meeting with his friend. "I mean, you've gotta consider some kind of outside source, I guess. Maybe we're doing something wrong? What do you think, Yami?"

"I'm not sure..." He slowly admitted, staring across him at the ponds. Moss was grown at the edges to make it seem more natural, yet not imposing. "Animals have always lived with us harmoniously, most especially when the sorcerers and sorceresses were in large numbers. They helped nurture the Forest of Dim. Even though they became scarce, the animals never turned on us. We took what we needed for food, giving them peace beyond that in return." He sighed, rubbing his neck. An unpleasant thought had been nettling him ever since this issue had come to his attention. He dealt with most of the problems that concerned the kingdom's borders, while his father dealt with those inside the kingdom. He had to consider all possibilities, though...

"Hey, hey," Jounouchi said in an accusatory tone, thrusting himself into Yami's few and pointing a finger at him, glowering. "I can tell that you're not telling me everything, pal. You better fess up." He withdrew, folding his arms over his chest and grinning. "Besides, you always have at least one idea. You never _not_ know things. So? Come on and tell me."

"It's ridiculous, Jounouchi," he muttered. When the blonde simply stared at him, demanding an offering of some kind, he sighed and looked away, pressing the palm of his hand against the back of his neck. Jounouchi, like all men, was in love with his sister, but hated any mentioning of magic. It made him nervous, for reasons that Yami was certain had to deal with his parents being attacked by a sorcerer and killed. He doubted that bringing up that certain sorcerer would make Jounouchi feel at ease. "He disappeared at the end of his trial when he was given his sentence," Yami said, wording it carefully and not saying Bakura's name. "Nobody knows what happened to him."

Jounouchi's skin went a bit pale, but he drove on determinedly, "It does reek of his works." Yami let his hands slip from his hips and moved to the pond, staring down at it thoughtfully. As a full-blooded sorcerer, Bakura could live for an infinitely longer time than a normal human. He had never been quite as malicious as he had become when Yami became older. He had been the court sorcerer, often working on spells with Mai for the king. Yami had never known him to age, even as a small boy. The face he last saw Bakura wearing was the one he was first faced with. It was strange, knowing that he once admired him for his skills.

_He was never good, though, _Yami conceded. _He had always had a dark heart, darker than any that I could have imagined. Mai knew what he was up to – I have a feeling he even introduced the dark arts to her. Whether she picked it up or not is debatable. I should have known he would do that, too. Instead, the child of me took hold and blinded me. I never understood until the last minute. _His mouth twisted. _How I hate that man. Constantly sneering at me, playing jokes on me with his magic, killing my pets, killing my friends' parents, killing my _friends_..._ He shuddered. Bakura had purposely been trying to weaken him so that no one surrounded him, to encourage him. _He almost succeeded in draining any hope of life from me. Thank God father brought him to trail when he did or Jounouchi and Shizuka would be dead. _

"You alright, Yami?" He snapped out his thoughts and glanced at Jounouchi's earnest, concerned face. "You look kind of...angry. Maybe you ought to see Anzu." A corner of his mouth lifted in an attempted smile. Yami felt ashamed, realizing his friend was fearful of him.

"No, I unburden myself far too much to Anzu lately," he said, smiling reassuringly. From as long as he could remember, Yami had been betrothed to Anzu. They had visited each other quite a bit while children, though not so much when they became older. He had been quite surprised when he saw her at his birthday gala when he turned seventeen. She had a soothing presence that calmed him, that boosted his confidence whenever he needed it. Jounouchi and Shizuka got along quite well with her. His sister, naturally, wanted nothing to do with her, a feeling she possessed often enough when it came to other women.

"The wedding's coming up," Jounouchi cheerfully said, his earlier mood fading. "Bet that's a relief, eh?"

"...I do adore her," Yami thoughtfully told him. Guiltily, he added, "But I'm nervous about getting married. I want to make her a happy wife." Jounouchi laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Yami, you two already act like you're married! Things can't get much more difficult than this."

X

Shizuka could tell her friend was distressed. Even though she happily allowed the modiste to fit the fabric around her slender frame for her wedding dress and chattered to cooks and servants about the preparations for the wedding, there was a lurking worry behind Anzu's eyes that could not be ignored. In the past, Shizuka would have had no idea what to say to a princess when she was upset.

Anzu, she found, was not princess material. She had been brought up by her father, a boisterous man that enjoyed spending as much time with his daughter as possible in rather unconventional ways. Anzu knew more about card playing, hawks, horses, hunting, fencing, and any other masculine event than proper female etiquette. She was not delicate, nor was she to be treated as such. She did not act like a male, though, either. It was hard to understand Anzu's personality when it was so broad and expansive.

"What is it?" Shizuka questioned her friend once they were alone in her bedchambers. Anzu sighed and settled on her bed, looking dismal and stressed. Before she could speak, Shizuka hurried away to get a cool wash rag and ushered for Anzu to sit back. The princess did as she bade, closing her eyes when she placed the rag over her forehead. "There...You will relax while you tell me your woes." She smiled, even though Anzu could not see it.

"I don't...I don't feel ready to get married, Shizuka," she confessed. "I'm worry I will mess up or do something wrong. What if Yami finds out he hates me as his wife? Then we'll have to get an annulment! I couldn't handle the rejection. His father barely acknowledges me and Mai _hates _me – "

"Mai doesn't like many people," she put in helpfully. Anzu merely groaned. "Oh, Anzu, do stop worrying. What does it matter if you're in love?" There was such a long silence that Shizuka feared she had said the wrong thing. She leaned over the bed, removing the rag and gazing down at the cerulean eyes that opened to peer up at her uncertainly. "You..._do_ love him, don't you? Jounouchi tells me that Yami is head over heels in love with you."

Anzu sat up and looked away, her shoulders slumped. That was exactly what had been worrying her lately. She did _like_ Yami very much, but applying the word 'love' seemed strange and incredibly uncomfortable. While Yami had never said, 'I love you,' to her, she knew that he did by his mannerism and the expression on his face whenever he looked at her. She felt ashamed that she was unsure of whether her feelings went that far. It was beginning to worry her, make her wonder if she should tell him that her feelings were such. She could not tell Shizuka these things, as she was younger and had irrational ideas of true love and relationships. The girl had never been with a guy, thanks to her brother and her own sheltered life in the castle.

_I like him, _she mused, _but is that enough for him? I'm not even sure if it's enough for me. Father told me he had been against the betrothal mother set up for me because I was so young. He wanted me to choose my husband after several suitors. Mother refused to allow that. But I agree with father..._

"It's complicated, Shizuka," she told her companion at last, glancing cautiously at her over her shoulder. "I cannot even put to words what I feel." She sighed and lay back down on the bed, taking the cool rag from Shizuka's hands. "I need to rest...Today has been so eventful. I shall faint if I don't slow down for a few moments. Either that, or I will have a heart attack."

"...How frightful. A heart attack before your wedding, _preparing_ for your wedding? It is rather unromantic. You should at least die dramatically."

Anzu chuckled, as she knew Shizuka expected. The air had gone thick before she had made her joke. It was friendly and light again, just as she preferred. Anzu listened to the soft swish of skirts and padding of slippers on carpet as Shizuka moved towards the door. Once the door opened and closed, she allowed herself to truly relax, giving a lengthy exhale. She did not expect any other servants to come, as Shizuka was employed as her personal maid. If she needed something, she would call for her.

_I wish this wedding would be done and over with, _she thought faintly as she drifted into a light sleep. _I would be so relieved._

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DIS: The first two chapters will be a little slow, getting into the characters and Anzu and Yami's relationship. Can anyone guess what fairy tale this story is based from? Please leave a review, telling me how you thought I did for a first chapter. Ciao!


	2. Chapter Two

Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter:

**CampionSayn** (I love chaptered AU fics to death. I think I've written more of those than OU ones, haha,)

**cruisegirl, **

**We're In Like Sin** (First: wicked sweet penname! I haven't ever written a denyshipping story, so I am hoping I write it well enough without leaning too much to one side. Actually, only one reviewer got the fairytale right; it's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The originally plot line, anyway,)

**Impashence, **

**journey maker, **

**punkeymonkey89 **(Not sure if I said this in my original response to you, but the rush of marriage and stuff isn't as rushed as it seems, actually. There will a whoooole lot of more elaboration on that. And I actually only based the _base_ of the plot from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. That being the queen all jealous of Snow White and having her servant kill her. Everything else is mostly my own devices. Things will start to add together as the story progresses, so do not worry my dear friend!),

**Sakura Takanouchi **(Can you believe that you are the only person who knew what fairy tale this was from? And I thought it was totally obvious from the title. You know, the whole, 'Who is the fairest lady of them all?' and everything. Don't worry, Anzu is not going to scream at eyes in the forest and clean a cottage while singing with animals. I'm only borrowing the original plot line for my own devices, much like in _Beauty_. Everything else is planned out different and way too mature for the original Snow White. Hmm, nobody ever seems to like Shizuka. She has the same role as in _Beauty_, too, to make things simple on my part. You can sort of predict how often she'll appear since you read that story,)

and **CraziAznGirl**.

Here is the chapter, which will elaborate a little more on Mai's character.

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Two_

Mai entered her chambers, thankful for the peace that washed over her. The gentlemen that day had been rather bothersome, pressuring her into this and that. She knew that they cared nothing for her except her wealth and beauty. They never thought about how much she worked every morning to look that way, how hard she came upon her magical accomplishments. They never looked behind the veil she had cast upon herself. Every single one of them was a vain, thoughtless, good-for-nothing male to her.

Except one.

At Bakura's trial, she had not tried to capture him for the single reason that he had seen behind that veil. He was perceptive, unlike everyone else, and even though she knew that it was possible he took any notice of her because of her position as princess, she began to seek him out. It was because of him that she became interested in magic. The majority of the time, Mai would sit and watch him perform his magic or make some concoction in his work shop with herbs. Rarely did they ever speak earnestly to each other. She simply wanted to sit in his presence, as it had an unusually calming effect on her.

Once, Bakura had noticed her attentive gaze on him and had smirked, asking, "Is it my looks or the magic that appeals to you?"

"I want power," she had responded smoothly, meeting his gaze. "I could get that through the magic. My mother was a sorceress. She was supposed to teach me her arts, and she did a little before Yami was born. It's nothing like what you do, though. I could have anything I wanted if I had magic." Mai recalled the brief pause after that, staring up at Bakura's face that had grown solemn and thoughtful. Only then did she realize that he had lost interest in her before, letting her come as she wished so long as she did not bother him. "I want you to teach me."

"You already have power, princess. How much more do you expect to get in learning the magical arts?"

"Enough to be above my brother."

"Hmm...Then it seems we have a common interest."

He taught her everything that was right, everything that a sorcerer or sorceress was expect to know. She knew that many of the magic she learned was different from what he did and accused him of betraying her as a teacher. He had laughed at her, giving her a brief and somewhat frightening lesson of the dark arts that he so loved to perform. He even hinted that he had plans to make Yami miserable. She offered to help him, but he would not allow it, saying that he did not want to involve an "amateur that was sure to screw things up."

Mai stopped going to his workshop then, deeply wounded that he thought so little of her. She hated her brother more than Bakura ever could. Alone, she made her descent into the dark arts, knowing that the more innocent magic could not help her and she would never earn respect from her teacher if she did not master it. However, she found that a great deal of the advanced spells would not work for her if she failed to do the lesser ones. It was frustrating, taking most of her patience (something which Mai was short of.)

_I still have a long way to go before getting as good as Bakura was, _Mai reflected. _He will regret calling me an amateur in magic. I will find him one day and make him see how good I am. _She smiled to herself, settling on the floor, her skirts flowing out around her. _For now, though, I will continue to be the admired woman in Kraion. No woman is more beautiful than me. _Since Mai's own father paid little attention to her and her relationship with Yami was less than pleasant, she found her respect from the women that glanced at her enviously or the men that sought her out for an illicit tryst. It was not the way she would have liked to keep herself happy, but it was all she had to work on.

She raised a hand and a leather, jeweled bag swung towards her, landing in her lap. She parted the folds and began pulling out two violet candles, parchment, a quill, ink, and a silver goblet. She set the candles on the wooden chest at the end of her bed, placing the goblet between them. She uncorked the ink bottle and dipped the quill in it, scratching symbols on the parchment. After corking the bottle and returning it and the quill to the bag, she held her hand above the goblet, slowly drawing it upward. Water filled the goblet then. She read off the symbols from the parchment before ripping it apart and dropping it into the water.

The water made a cracking sound and the parchment's floating, rough edges blurred. The parchment melted into a liquid, spinning around the goblet. Satisfied, Mai reached into the leather bag and withdrew a dagger. With most dark arts, the spells required the magic user's blood in order to operate. She pricked her finger with the sharp tip of the blade and let five drops of blood fall into the water. She pressed her other finger to the prick and it healed instantly. She lit the candles with a match from the bag and waited, staring down in the goblet.

For a long time, all that Mai could see was her reflection. The water gradually darkened as it swirled in the goblet to a violet that matched the candles. A ghastly, pale face appeared, amber eyes glowing from the face. Its wide mouth stretched in a parody of a smile. Mai had conversed several times with this particular djinn, as she used his spell every few months. "Princess," he drawled in greeting. "I am at your service."

"As always," she remarked. She stared down into the goblet, smiling. The djinn was like her own best friend, the only person she spoke with honestly. She rose to her feet and stepped back as the djinn floated up to hover above the goblet, his massive wings folded behind him, his legs drawn up to his bent arms. The claws on his hands and feet were purposely curled, so that he issued no threat. She pushed her thick locks from her face, raising an eyebrow. "Am I the fairest lady in Kraion?"

The djinn's smile grew vicious, his sharp teeth gleaming. "No."

Her expression twisted into confusion. With an effort, she collected herself, placing a coolly polite mask onto her face. "No? What are you talking about, djinn? I have questioned you of this many times since I learned this spell and you dare to say 'no'? You cannot lie once you are under my service. You had best not be lying."

"I do not lie, the contract forbids it," he told her. "You are no longer the fairest lady in Kraion. Recently another has come to Kraion. She is the fairest."

"Who?" She demanded furiously.

"Anzu, your brother's fiancée."

Mai did not act on the words for a moment, staring at him in disbelief. "Surely you are mistaken, djinn!" She scoffed. "That woman is nothing compared to me. I am all that is elegant, all that is beautiful. I refuse to believe that she can take this from me. She knows nothing of femininity. I was brought up by women tutors, carefully sculpted into who I am. She was raised by an idiot male that knows nothing of raising a daughter!" When he merely returned her statement with a sarcastic look, she flew into a violent rage, tearing apart her room. The djinn watched her with slight interest as she threw everything off her vanity and then threw it down so that the mirror shattered, spraying glass everywhere on the floor.

Only did she stop once the entire room was wrecked, her wardrobe and the expensive dresses torn to pieces by the dagger she had retrieved, her bed cut similarly with feathers scattered all over the room. Heaving in deep breaths, Mai brought some control to herself and turned to face the djinn, her eyes glassy with hatred and residual temper. He grinned and let out a short laugh, his narrow eyes glinting.

"She won't take what's rightfully mine," she told him, moving the candles and goblet carefully so as not to break the spell. The djinn bent over her, watching as she opened the chest and pulled out an overlarge book. His mouth turned down, reading the leather binding. She unclasped the lock around it and placed a hand above the pages. Seconds later, the ancient paper flipped through the book before stopping. She smiled, staring down at the page, turning to look at the djinn. "You will take her from Kraion – to the Forest of Dim. There, the animals will tear her apart. It is rumored there are exiled sorcerers there, too. If Bakura is there, he will kill her instantly once he finds out how she is connected to Yami."

"It is a waste of blood," he stated plainly. "You could easily employ a human – "

"Humans can be bribed and not to be trusted," she interrupted briskly. "You are my djinn and therefore loyal to only me. I have treated you kindly, have I not?"

"Of course, princess."

"Then you will do as I say. Who I feed my blood to is no concern of yours, djinn. You should be glad to take half my life supply." The djinn was silent at this, unable to explain his unease for her recklessness with her blood. Djinns could look into the very depths of one's heart, into their own magic. It was why he had come when Mai had performed the spell the first time, why he had bound himself to her with a contract. He could tell that there was a tortured soul beneath the layers of beauty she placed upon herself. It was not enough to be beautiful, but it kept her living.

"If it pleases you," he said softly.

X

Anzu opened her eyes groggily as a knock came on her door. She slid the presently warm rag from her head as she sat up. Yami poked his head in, smiling in greeting. "Shizuka said you were feeling a bit ill," he said, shutting the door behind him. His eyes briefly roamed the room, as he had never been in her chambers before.

"I just needed to rest," she assured him, setting the rag aside and brushing her fingers over her forehead, fixing the stray strands of hair that had escaped her bun. Yami came to the bed and sighed, settling on the edge of the bed. She knew by the shadows in his eyes that something was bothering him. He rarely kept things from her; if he wanted to speak his mind, he would. If not, she respected that. There were, after all, many things that she did not tell him. She was afraid it would hurt him to know that she was anxious about the upcoming marriage. "The, um, wedding arrangements are coming along very nicely..."

"Are they?" He queried, leaping upon the subject eagerly. It was clear that whatever it was that was lingering in his mind was something that he did not feel comfortable speaking about with her. She smiled a bit, guessing it was something political. Her smile turned puzzled. _But he even tells me that...Hmm. _

"Yes, but I think I must have overdid things." She gave a laugh, pressing the palm of her hand to her forehead. "I've been hurrying around all day, worrying about the wedding. I never even gave a thought to my own health. I am glad that Shizuka persuaded me to lie down or I might have fainted."

One of his eyebrows rose skeptically. "Somehow I cannot see you fainting." She gave a slight laugh of agreement.

From then on, there was comfortable silence as they both lost themselves in their thoughts. Anzu could not stop thinking that it was strange that Yami would not tell her of his troublesome thoughts. She wondered, _Is he as nervous about the wedding as me? _A moment after that thought crossed her mind, she decided, _No, not Yami. He has liked our engagement from the beginning. My father has lectured me so much about men and his disapproval of such an early betrothal that it has made me hesitant. I have always known that was why I became this way about the wedding. I don't want to give my heart to the only guy I was allowed to known personally. How do I know there isn't someone else out there that I would prefer? _She sighed softly, so as not to disturb Yami. _I do like Yami very much, but... I feel as though I am denying us both what we should have. He might only love me because I was the only girl he knew. If he got out more..._

"What are you thinking?" His gently thrumming voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked to him, startled. There was a deep thoughtfulness in his eyes that she was unable to read.

"Honestly?" She sighed again. "The wedding."

"It is a bit...nerve-racking," he admitted slowly, deliberately sliding his gaze to the wall to hide any thoughts that flashed through his eyes. "We have always been betrothed, you know, Anzu, so I knew that we would one day marry. Isn't it strange now that we are finally preparing for it? It puts things in one's perspective, does it not?" She stared at him, shocked that he felt nearly the same as her.

"It does," Anzu agreed. "Yami...Shizuka told me – " There was a knock on the door, causing a flash of irritation. The knock grew more insistent as both Anzu and Yami merely stared at it, a bit uncomprehendingly. At last, the visitor could not withhold themselves, allowing themselves in. The couple blinked, seeing that it was Yami's lovely sister, Mai. She coolly appraised them and then smiled at Anzu, her face lighting up with warmth. It was more than obvious how insincere the expression was. "Mai..."

"Mai," Yami cautiously said. "What brings you here?"

"I am not here to speak with you, brother," Mai flippantly dismissed him, gliding across the room and halting in front of Anzu. She surveyed Yami over her shoulder, eyeing him. She could see that her brother had no false impression of her. As Bakura had considered Yami his rival, it was no surprise that he was suspicious of any person who wielded magic. _Ironic, how he seemed to find the last two advisors unacceptable. He even hated magic when he was a baby. Truly, the wretch is admirable to some level, _she mused to herself.

After another moment, she turned back to Anzu. She could barely hold herself together because of the loss of blood in performing the ritual to free the djinn from the goblet for the next few nights. "I came to speak with my future sister-in-law. It is a personal, female matter, you see. I feel that I should give her some advice on...certain things." Anzu's face went a bit pink, while her fiancé remained clueless. With a sigh, Mai rolled her head back to give him an exasperated stare. "Sex, Yami."

"What of it?" He replied blankly. She scowled meaningfully. He stared a moment and slowly, his cheeks grew a bit red, too.

"Your _wedding night_, idiot," she snapped irritably. _I don't have time for him. You would think he knew nothing of the sexual world. If I didn't hate him so much, I would explain things to him quite thoroughly. As it is, he will have to remain as clueless as a ten-year-old. _"Out. You would hardly want to listen to our conversation." He gave a jerky nod, rising to his feet and mumbling a farewell to Anzu. Once he was out of the room, Mai settled beside Anzu.

"It is really unnecessary, Mai – " She began earnestly. Mai waved a hand, hushing her.

"Nonsense, Anzu. I shall educate you upon all things womanly. My brother will be quite pleased, I assure you." She took her hands, smiling apologetically. "I know I have been rather cold to you, Anzu, but I intend to make amends. I have trouble showing my emotions adequately. The sorcerer...Bakura...I thought he was my friend and then he betrayed me and – " She released her hands, turning her head away and pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. "Forgive me."

"Oh..." Anzu touched her shoulders compassionately. "I am so sorry, Mai. I never knew."

Behind her hand, Mai smirked triumphantly. Even though Anzu had an energetic soul, she was also rumored to have a kind heart. _Stupid girl, _she thought as she raised the symbols for the spell she would place on Anzu. _You trust far too easily. Yami at least understands the truth. After living here at the palace for such a long time, you should have known that I care nothing for you. _She almost laughed aloud at her naïveté. Once the symbols were solidly burned into her mind, she glanced at Anzu and murmured the word beneath her breath. _This spell will ensure that the djinn will know where you are so that he can carry out my orders. You will soon be out of the way. I will be the fairest lady in Kraion again. _

"Did you say something?" The younger female asked, leaning forward, peering up in Mai's face. She wiped the fake tears away and gave a tremulous smile, seeing the spell gather around Anzu.

_She doesn't even sense it. _"No, no," she assured in a shaky tone. "Nothing. I am fine. I had best start preparing you for your wedding night. We wouldn't want to disappoint Yami, now would we?"

X

Yami sat sprawled in his chair, staring at the chessboard placed before him. He had sought Jounouchi out in the soldier barracks below the castle rather than call him up to his chambers. He had never enjoyed royal life. The constant attention from servants had irritated him, not to mention the way every citizen had to hail him if he went outside the castle walls. He found it was more tiring than anything. Therefore, he escaped to the soldier barracks every once in awhile in order to ignore that life for awhile. The soldiers treated him as just another man.

The general, who trained all incoming soldiers, often teased him, "Perhaps you should come down here and try out my training, little prince. I'm interested to know if you would survive." Yami always assured him that, one of those days he would, but he was content with his fencing training for the time being.

"Can't ever be sure with Mai," Jounouchi commented, leaning over the table, glaring down at the chess pieces. Yami smiled faintly at his companion's concentration. They had been playing chess since they were children and as they played, Jounouchi became a better and better player. He rarely ever won against Yami. There were many times, however, that it was close. He moved a rook to challenge a knight and took it out. Leaning back smugly, Jounouchi continued, "You know how she is."

Yami stared at the board, a bit baffled. He ruefully looked at his one remaining knight and muttered, "Well, yes. She's planning something, though. I am sure of it." He straightened in his chair and raised his eyes to Jounouchi's. "Mai has never cared a fig about Anzu. Isn't it strange that she would suddenly decide that she's in the business to give her advice? It's all a little suspicious, if you ask me." He peered down at the board and then slid his bishop forward. "Checkmate."

"EH?" Jounouchi gawked at his king, his jaw hanging loose. After a moment, he folded his arms on the table and hid his mouth behind them, staring intently at the board. Yami sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. "Listen, Yami," he finally said, grabbing a rook and knocking it into Yami's bishop violently. "You and Mai haven't ever had a very good relationship. It's not very surprising that you are being overly suspicious, if you ask me. And it's not because I went to get her that I'm saying that, either," he added, pointing a finger at Yami. "I'm just statin' the facts."

"You don't know my sister," was all Yami said, pushing a pawn forward carelessly. Jounouchi pounced on the pawn with one of his own pawns. He let out a hoot at having gotten Yami off his king. "You might actually win for once."

"Don't be getting all bitter and pissy just because your sister is talking to Anzu," Jounouchi grumbled, glowering slightly. He brightened a second later, adding, "After all, it might be good if Mai really is giving her advice about the bedroom. You could end up being a very happy husband on your wedding night." He snickered as Yami dropped his arms, staring at Jounouchi, his face reddening. "Just think! Mai has been going with all kinds of guys. She's got the kind of experience that anyone would want passed onto their wife." He winked at Yami over the table.

Just as he opened his mouth to begin an angry and embarrassed tirade, someone came stumbling over to them, knocking the chessboard over. Jounouchi jumped to his feet with a roar of horror. The table was knocked over from his abrupt standing. Yami sat in his seat, staring at the board, pieces, and table on the ground as if he was unsure of how they had gotten there. Meanwhile, Jounouchi was agonizing over it to his sister, who had been the one to knock it over. "Shizuka, how _could_ you?! I was going to win! Once in my entire life and I was actually going to win against Yami." He let out a pained moan, slumping to the floor, bowing his head against the mess on the floor. "Why?! Why, why, why?! It's always me! I never have any luck!! Ohhh..."

"Oh, brother, honestly!" Shizuka sighed crossly. "It's only a game, for goodness' sake! I came down to give you something, but seeing as you would much rather moan and cry over a lost game..."

"Something for me?" He repeated, springing to his feet, his eyes immediately traveling to the covered basket in her hands. As he moved to lift the cover, she turned so that her back was facing him. Jounouchi gave her a tearful look, his eyes going wide and glittering. "Shizuka, are you teasing me? I can smell the muffins! You didn't just come down here so that I could imagine how delicious they are, did you? How could you? You've turned heartless!"

"Stop dramatizing it," she said, shaking her head with a slight smile. "I'll give you and Yami some as soon as you set up this table." She turned to Yami, a kind look on her face. "Would you like some, Yami? They really are good and will cheer you right up. You look ever so miserable right now." He managed a small smile.

"Thank you, Shizuka. That's nice of you. I probably do need some sugar to make me feel somewhat better."

"Mmm," Jounouchi sighed as soon as the table was standing properly again and Shizuka had removed the cover to her basket. "That smells like blueberry muffins."

"Go ahead and take some," she told them. "I'm going to clean up the chessboard." She knelt down while Jounouchi and Yami helped themselves to the muffins. She gathered all the pieces and after counting thirty-two pieces, she placed them on the table, folding the board so that it held the pieces. She did the clasp on the board and then leaned against the table. Yami did look a bit better now that he had gotten some comfort food. She smiled sadly. _Being a prince is hard, _she reflected. _I do feel for him. It will be even harder once he's king. Yami worries over everything and everyone. It's sweet, but it only causes himself harm. I wish he would understand that no one expects him to make _every _problem in the kingdom to go away._

"Aw, man..." Other soldiers came lurking up to see what the smell that was permeating through the barracks was. "Why can't they ever keep their nose out of my business? I hate sharing with them..."

"How sad for you to be an adult," Yami dryly remarked with a smirk.

Jounouchi snorted.

X

DIS: I think things will get a bit more exciting next chapter since some of our favorite guys will be introduced, woot. Please review on your way out, telling me how you think I am doing. Ciao!


	3. Chapter Three

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Three_

After dinner, Anzu was unsurprised that her fiancé asked her out to the gardens to stroll for a moment. She suspected that he had not liked the idea of her being alone with Mai, let alone talking of such personal matters. Contrary to what she was expecting, the older female had been quite mild. Anzu had half-expected her to give intimate details of her own experiences and how _she _had done it. Mai had given her advice in an offhand, even impersonal manner. It made the conversation less uncomfortable. "Your sister was nice for a change, Yami," she told him as they walked along the gardens. The spring air was cool, although not so much that it might persuade them to go back inside the castle. "And...very helpful. I'll save you the embarrassment by not repeating it. I can't imagine you want to hear about those kinds of things about your sister." He glanced at her, giving a slight smile. "Yami, what's wrong? You didn't like me talking to her, did you?"

"You know that Mai is a generally unpleasant character," he told her softly. "She isn't nice to any girl, Anzu, most especially if she is connected to me. She despises me – for good reason, I suppose – and it makes me uneasy, not knowing what she is thinking. I am almost certain that there is more to that conversation than she made." He let loose a sigh. Only then did Anzu realize how worried he was. Clearly there were other matters on his mind, too. She had known that before when she spoke to him earlier that day. "I think Bakura might have formed her magic for her – made it dark."

"She mentioned Bakura," Anzu offered. "She was quite upset about it. Apparently she saw him as a friend and he betrayed her somehow."

"I see...That's what she told you?" His mouth tightened petulantly. It was not unlike Mai to spread lies, as it seemed to be a favorite past time of hers. The issue with this was that he did not know what Mai's relationship had been with Bakura. They were seen together from time to time publicly, but Bakura had always been careful in everything he did where others could see him. He had weaved lies throughout the castle, placing mask upon mask onto himself so that no one could be quite sure who he truly was. Yami, however, had known there was something not quite right about the court sorcerer and made it his business to know exactly who the man was. Bakura never tried to deceive him as he did others, either. That, in itself, was bothersome. It was hard enough trying to figure out Bakura without putting his sister into the picture. "I would prefer you not to speak with her alone without me knowing, Anzu," he said at last.

"But – " He halted her abruptly, taking her hands in his.

"You never met Bakura, Anzu. If he passed some knowledge to her and she finds you disagreeable..." He trailed off, his brow furrowing worriedly. Her gaze passed over his face pensively as she considered over the threat he was implying. Yami rarely asked for such precautions unless he truly felt there was need for them.

"I won't," she decided. She smiled and slid her hands out of his, raising a hand to brush her fingertips over his cheek. "I promise. Besides, I'm stronger than I look, even against a sorceress. I can take care of myself." Yami nodded, comforted by her promise, and he turned so they were walking towards the castle. "We're going in so soon?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I would like more time with you, but some...things...have come up that I need to deal with, sooner rather than later. You ought to get to bed early, Anzu, after all that stress that you had to deal with today." He walked her through the castle and came to halt at the staircase that led up to the corridor that held her chambers. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her cheek. "Get some sleep." He flashed a brief, comforting smile, and then turned, heading back the way they had come. Anzu watched him for a moment, puzzled by his demeanor, before moving up the stairs. It was strange; not until he had mentioned sleep did she get weary. She reminded herself that he was correct: she _had_ been busy all day.

X

The djinn raised his head, his bent back straightening. He had stood at vigil in the gardens, his body blending in with the surroundings. The spell Mai had cast not only allowed him to know Anzu's whereabouts, but hear her heartbeat. He had rested, listening to her heartbeat vaguely until it gradually came to a steady, languid pace. She was now asleep. Mai had not given him instructions when he should take her to the Forest of Dim, so he concluded that it would be wisest to snatch her in her sleep when she was less likely to throw a fit.

His legs uncurled, his arms bending at an awkward angle before returning to their folded position against his chest. He paused to listen, making certain that she was still sleeping and that no one was in the vicinity. He extended his wings and gave a single thrust to lift himself into the air. As he rose higher, he allowed the blending spell to drop. He soared around the castle, following the thread that led him to the princess. When he came to the balcony, he folded himself gracefully on the stone, gliding through the glass doors to stand in the chambers. His eyes flickered around lazily.

_These are not her bedchambers, _he deduced. He continued through the chambers and at last came to where she was sleeping. He floated around to the bed and landed softly, staring down at the young face. He almost wished he could hold regret for causing harm about this girl, but his emotions were solidly indifferent. As a djinn serving under its master or mistress, they could hold not emotions or else they might not be able to perform a task that is commanded of them. They could hate the one controlling them. Their emotions were not restricted so that they could feel nothing towards them. This djinn felt only pity for Mai, though, and wanted to help her to remain happy. If harming the prince's fiancée was what it took to do that, he would.

He put a spell on her to keep her asleep, pulling back the covers and bundling her in a quilt that was lying on the end of the bed. Satisfied, he lifted himself from the ground with his wings and surged through the walls again to the chambers where the windows were, moving through those as well to soar in the air towards the Forest of Dim. The Forest was some ways from the castle; it would take him a bit to arrive and find a suitable place where she could be feasted upon the raging animals within.

By the time he had come to the edge of the Forest, night had settled thickly, suggesting that there would be only hours until the sun rose. The djinn was weakest at daylight and would be unable to perform any spells. He did not like being in such a compromising situation, especially if he was caught and it was discovered that the princess was missing. If they killed him, they might end up killing his mistress, as well.

Dismayed at such a thought, he dived into the forest trees and deftly avoided the larger branches. Once nearly at land level, he maneuvered past the tree trunks and shrubbery, his glowing eyes darting around searchingly. His face lit up with delight at finding a stump that appeared to be an awry part of the forest. He was deep enough that no human would find her. He hoped that the animals of the forest would keep humans away.

The djinn deposited her against the stump. Satisfied that he had finished the job well enough, he left the Forest of Dim and returned to the castle. He blended again with his surroundings. He returned to the goblet shortly before the sun began to rise. He nestled inside and closed his eyes briefly, shivering at how close he had been to losing his powers. If the sun had risen while he was traveling through the walls, he very well could have become lodged there forever.

"Djinn," Mai's deep, sultry voice called from above him. He opened his eyes and floated out of the goblet. He was exhausted from the mission she had set him out to do. She smiled at him and asked, "Am I the fairest lady in Kraion?"

To which he replied, "Yes."

X

When Anzu woke, her face was cold and her body was not as warm as it should have been. She could not imagine herself throwing all of the covers off, so she reached down absent-mindedly with her eyes closed, only feeling a thin quilt. Her hands brushed something rough and until then, she had not noticed there were sounds of animals all around her. Cautiously, and more than a bit fearfully, she opened her eyes to see that she was not in her bed at all – she was not even in the castle!

She gathered the quilt around her, staring with wide eyes. _This must be the Forest of Dim, _she thought, shivering. _I don't think it could be anything else. _She swallowed the lump in her throat and drifted to a tree, staring at the moss covering the base. Unfortunately, she had not been paying attention to what her father was saying when he spoke of moss on trees. She never thought she would be without a compass, let alone lost. _All I have is a quilt and what I'm wearing. _The damp feel of leaves and earth pressed against her feet._ I don't even have any shoes. _

Anzu rested against the tree, biting her lip. _Think for a minute, _she counseled herself. _Are you really awake? Perhaps this is just a nightmare you're going through. _She reached up and pinked her cheek, wincing at the sharp pain. _This is no nightmare. Oh, how I wish it were. _She looked around. _I'm not in a clearing, so obviously the person that took me from the castle didn't intend on coming back. They just dumped me in the middle of the forest. That only means I'm even more lost than I could have been. Well...The only thing to do is start walking, I guess. _She stepped back to the stump and looked around. Everything looked the same. _I'll just go forward, then..._

Abandoning the stump, she walked forward, flinching at the feel of twigs and rocks and other forest floor objects pressing against the soft flesh of her feet. Anzu could hear the twittering of birds, but there were no other animal sounds that she was familiar with when entering such thick woods. _Odd, _she reflected, stepping over a fallen trunk. _If I am as deep in the forest as I think I am, I should even see some wild animals, like a deer or something. _The thought caused her to pause, washing her with a foreboding that could not be brushed off. Once again, her cerulean gaze flitted around the trees. _Either someone's inhabiting this area or... _She had no other alternative; she was unable to think of another possible reason for why the animals would be missing. _I might not be as deep as I thought. Somehow, I have a feeling it's not that. _

Anzu continued forward determinedly, hugging the quilt around her. She did not like the idea of sitting against a tree in pure darkness in this forest tonight. She prayed she might be able to find a path or someone else in the forest so that she could return to the castle. _Walking in bare feet is painful, _she thought. _If I keep my pace like this, I won't be getting that much further. _Unfortunately, that was the truth. She sighed and paused again. As she stood there, staring ahead of her dismally, she realized how utterly silent it had gone. _The birds stopped. I never heard them leave, either. _She whipped around. There was nothing behind her. The silence was thick and perturbing.

Keeping her breathing shallow, she strained her eyes for any sounds. After awhile, soft rustling came from her left. She turned, pressing her lips together anxiously as she listened.

_Snap_

_Snap_

_Snap snap snap_

_Whatever it is, _Anzu realized, taking a step back, _it's coming closer and quickly. _She turned and abandoned her quilt, springing forward to flee. The pursuer sensed the chase, no longer restraining themselves in order to be quiet. Behind her, Anzu heard the breaking of branches and a low snarl. She chanced a look over her shoulder and let loose a moan of terror at seeing the mountain lion. _I could never outrun it! Even if I hid, it would know where I was! _She tried to run faster, despite the logic her brain had come up with, and let out a choked exclamation as a sharp branch stabbed her foot, sticking painfully. As she tried to get it out, she found herself tripping and tumbling down a hill. Bringing her arms up to her face to shield it, she felt branches and rocks beating against her as she rolled down the steep hill. Behind her, she heard the mountain lion snarling and following her. _They don't usually act like this towards humans! Surely it can't be that hungry? _

As she came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, she looked down at her foot to see that it was bleeding and a piece of the stick was still protruding from the wound. She stumbled to her feet and limped away, breathless. She halted, not hearing the mountain lion any longer. Looking back, she saw it was gone. Baffled, she slowly lowered herself into a crouch, frantically searching her surroundings and listening intently. "You're still here," she whispered, straightening a bit. "I can't see you, but you're there."

As if answering her, there was a sharp, cat-like growl from a few feet beside her. She turned in time to roll away from the mountain lion. There was no way she could run from it, nor could she hide from it. She scrabbled towards a thick branch and hauled it from the ground. Her entire frame was trembling. She could have dealt with the animal if she had a sword or a bow. A stick, however, was an entirely different thing. The only way to kill it was to knock it over the head hard enough. Her balance was already poor because of her injured foot and the stick was too broad. Her hands could barely hold it. There were no other large branches, so she was going to have to try and survive with this.

The mountain lion crouched, its tailing flicking predatorily. Her grip tightened on the branch, glaring into the dilated pupils of its amber eyes. It seemed almost amused with her stance, staring at her in a way that mocked, "You really think you can kill me like that?" Anzu, trembling ever so slightly, did not turn and run like it was probably expecting her to do. She stood, waiting. At last, it lunged from its crouch and she moved to the side, swinging the branch as hard as she could. The mountain lion tore the branch from her hands, flinging it to the side. She slipped on damp leaves, falling to the ground. The mountain lion wrung the branch for a moment before creeping slowly towards her.

"This does not seem to be your day," a silky voice remarked from behind her. Anzu froze, as well as the mountain lion. Its gaze had turned suspicious. She jerked when a pair of hands landed on her shoulders. "No need to be so frightened. At the moment, I'm not your biggest threat. As for later...Well, that can be debatable." She tilted her head back to stare up at a bronze-skinned male that smiled pleasantly down at her. "Stand up." He removed his hands and stepped towards the mountain lion. Apparently it understood what was happening and escaped, running faster than it had when going after Anzu.

She unsteadily rose to her feet, watching as the male returned his gaze to her, looking speculative. His dark cloak concealed everything but his black pants and boots. His long, dirty-blonde hair clashed against the colour. Only until then did she notice that his manner of moving and careful speaking was much like a nobleman's. "Who are you?" Anzu finally asked him.

"I believe that should be my question," he retorted, raising smooth, blonde eyebrows. "No one dares comes into the Forest of Dim now that the animals have turned savage. I would be less surprised if you were dressed appropriately and with guards. Instead," he gestured towards her, "you are dressed in sleepwear with no shoes, no weapon, and completely alone. I'm curious as to know how you survived getting into one of the very thickest parts of the forest."

Instinctively, Anzu was on guard and didn't trust him. So, instead of explaining her position fully, she coolly told him, "I don't think it's any of your business."

An edge of his mouth slid upward in a smirk. "No, you're quite right. In any case, I suppose I can't just leave you out here to be eaten. You shall have to come with me back to the cottage. If you let that piece of branch stay in your foot any longer, it'll get infected." He held out a hand. When she simply stood there, he sighed and stepped towards her. As soon as his hand grasped hers, she felt a warm wind whipping around her, engulfing her in darkness. Terrified, she closed her eyes and grabbed his arm with her other hand. The wind's smell was not at all like the forest, an exotic scent of a sandy country, the warmth feeling of sunlight and natural heat. A moment later, the wind settled and his amused voice said, "You can open your eyes now."

She did so and found she was standing in a comfortable, cozy room. Across from her was a narrow hallway with a window allowing light in. Limping down the hallway to the window, she peered out to find that she was still in the forest.

_At least I'm not alone, _she told herself, _or outside. I feel much safer here. _She withdrew and dragged herself back to the room to see that the man had left. She made a quick survey. There was a wooden table in the corner with two matching chairs and beside it was an arched doorway leading to another room. On the other side of the doorway was a book shelf of aging books and urns. Below the shelves were two closed cabinets. A mirror stood beside it, but her reflection was of no interest to her at the moment. Settled simply against the wall was a red-cushioned divan with a low table across from it. She took note that everything was perfectly masculine. _So there is no woman that lives here..._

The man returned to the room with a bowl of steaming water, a miniature container that generally held powder, bandages, and a white rag. "Come. Sit on the divan so I can tend to your foot," he said, tipping his head towards the divan. She obliged him and he sat beside her, raising her leg and pulling the branch out. She clenched her eyes tight, shocked that it had been embedded so deeply. When she glanced at him, she saw that he appeared to be unbothered by it. He undid the container, setting it on the table. She watched interestedly as he washed her foot with the water and rag before he applied the white cream from the container and bandaged it.

"My name is Malik," he told her a bit belatedly. "I live here with two other sorcerers." He rose to his feet, collecting the things. With a wry expression, he added, "It would be better for _them_ to introduce themselves. No one here is bound to know me." He smiled his charming, pleasant smile. "And who are you?"

"...Unlike you, I _am_ known here." He shrugged apathetically, indicating that it did not matter _who_ she was. "I am Anzu." He stared at her blankly. "I am the princess of Siruean." There was a flicker of interest at this piece of information. If not for watching him so closely, Anzu would not have seen it. He gave no response to this, leaving her once again in the room. The thoughts that rose to her mind were not kind. She did not feel entirely safe with three sorcerers. It was improper to be alone with a man unless you were engaged or married to him or if he was family. _But then, _she cynically thought, _when have I ever listened to what the court dictates? _

Anzu sighed quietly, raising her eyes to the ceiling. Her brow furrowed, only just then noticing that the walls and ceiling were not white as she had initially thought. They were a delicate colour of toffee. The colour matched the furniture quite well. Nonetheless, it continued to appear as a masculine room. It was less than reassuring to know that she was trapped with three sorcerers as her companions. Magic was something she had never particularly trusted. Her father scorned it. Those that actually performed it did not bother her, unless they performed it in front of her.

_I think Yami may have been right after all, _she reluctantly admitted. _It is too coincidental that I would end up in the middle of a forest and then nearly killed by a mountain lion shortly after speaking with Mai. Even if I somehow got back to Kraion, I have a feeling that witch would send me somewhere even more dangerous. I should have listened to Yami...He knows Mai better than I ever could. _

Malik appeared in the doorway to what she assumed was the kitchen. He smiled benignly. "Why don't we find something for you to wear and get you settled in my room? You're probably exhausted." She stared at him. "I know that sleeping in a man's room is forbidden to you princesses, but we're not really in a position where things can be manipulated," he explained, misinterpreting her expression. "In fact...Having rolled all over the ground, you are probably filthy. I can heat you a bath, if you want."

"Thank you, Malik," Anzu told him in a heartfelt manner. "That would be lovely. To be honest, I have not met many kind sorcerers."

His eyes glittered amusingly as he chortled. "I am sure there is a reason for that, princess."

X

After Malik had helped Anzu into his bed and drained the marble bath tub, he went downstairs to the drawing room at the other end of the hall opposing the living area where he and Anzu had been. There were two bedchambers upstairs, along with a study that belonged to Seto, who held the other bedroom. The largest bedchamber was on the level floor, near the drawing room. There were two corridors that led to that bedchamber, one to the drawing room, the other to the entry hallway. That bedchamber belonged to Bakura, as he had developed the cottage himself and had lived in it alone before Malik and Seto came along. The other rooms were added as the three sorcerers met.

Reflecting on it, Malik knew that Bakura would be exceptionally interested in Anzu. Even as far as the deserts of Hoshäi, the kingdom in which Malik originated from, had he heard of the princess of Siruean. He never knew her name until today. Her betrothal to Yami, the prince of Kraion, had received outraged objections from her entire kingdom, most especially her father and brother. Malik, as a sorcerer, and hardly interested in politics, could not recall what disapprove of the prince was. However, if she was still betrothed to the prince, Bakura would easily be able to come up with a scheme to use her for his own ends against Yami. If not that, he would likely kill her. Either way, it mattered not to Malik. What Bakura did was his own business.

A few hours after he had taken care of the torn nightgown of Anzu's and cleaned up the water basin used to heat the water, Seto slid through the kitchen from the back door. Although Malik and Bakura did not necessarily get along with the sorcerer, there was no doubt that he had his uses. He was as disinterested in them, keeping to himself the majority of the time. He was older than both of them with more experience and knowledge. The only thing that either of them excelled in was the dark arts. He had only dabbled in that. Unfortunately, his mere experimentation with it had nearly cost him his life. Before Bakura, he had been the court sorcerer in Kraion. They had learned that the one thing that Seto could not withstand was power. The dark arts had suggested an increase in his power and control; that was the only reason he had ever become involved in them.

"There is a princess in my bed," Malik stated plainly to the taller male from the kitchen table he was seated at. Seto paused in the act of moving up the staircase that led to the second level where his chambers were located. The only stairs that led upward were in the kitchen, near the entrance to the living area.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Seto queried in a bored tone. "How could you even have a woman in your bed?"

"She was stumbling around in the forest and I was being quite serious. She is the princess of Siruean." One of Seto's eyebrows rose and slowly, his azure gaze drifted to the window above the counter. It was past noon, the day gliding through the afternoon. Soon it would be sunset, when Bakura was sure to arrive at the cottage. The animals that came out at dark were far worse than those in daylight. "I need you to be here when I talk to Bakura. Personally, I don't give a shit if she lives or dies. Still, I can't predict Bakura's reaction any better than you." At that, Seto's brows lowered, knitting together, and his mouth turned down further, forming a perfect scowl.

"I beg to differ," was his bland response. He looked again to the window, as though expecting the outside forestry to counsel him. At length, he said, "Anzu is betrothed to Yami – she has been since they were children. I expect Bakura will be pleased to find her landing in his lap without him needing to even lift a finger." Malik blinked as Seto abandoned the staircase for the den. "Of course, when does he ever work?" He added.

"Before we knew him, I'm sure," Malik answered cheerfully, laughing.

X

DIS: I know these first three chapters have been a bit boring and I tried to speed it up, but I assure you there are many more details, conflict, drama, etc., from here on out. I've got it all laid out, so updates should be moderately fast unless I get held up by a school project or something dumb like that. In any case, please review and tell me how you like it so far! Constructive criticism is adored! Ciao!


	4. Chapter Four

Thanks to **Sakura Takanouchi **(I'm not _entirely _sure what you mean by flowery. What I _think_ you mean that everything is a bit too blunt, that it should use some more foreshadowing? Or the writing just dark in some aspects? Anyway, as for the Forest of Dim, it's just neutral ground that people use to travel from to get to the other side, where the harbor is. No kingdom has any hold on it)**, Silential, SwordMasterZ **(Basically, Seto is the brains of the group. He's still dangerous _because_ of that, but not in the manner of the Dark Arts. Don't worry, each of their positions are more identifiable in later chapters. This Malik is the normal one – no Yami Malik for this story, unfortunately)**, **and **Eternal Eyes** (That is tragic, I've really been hoping you would continue on with _Hate Me, It's Easier_. I know what you mean about how hard original fiction is. I've barely gotten through a few chaptered stories. Thanks for popping in again, though) for reviewing.

Don't be shy, people! If I'm not explaining anything clearly or you have a question, just ask it. If you see any grammar/spelling mistakes or simply find something about the writing style that isn't agreeable, **tell me!** I love constructive criticism, whether it be presented kindly or otherwise. With that said, here is chapter four!

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Four_

Shizuka hummed a cheerful tune beneath her breath as she approached the princess's bedchambers. She flung the doors open and tilted her head curiously, seeing that her friend was not yet up. Suspecting that Anzu's body needed time to adjust from everything yesterday, she went to the curtains and opened them, glancing behind her at the four poster bed. The curtains around the bed were tightly sealed, keeping any sunlight from them. "Anzu, it's time to wake!" She called, approaching the bed. "I know you had a hard time yesterday, but – " She stopped as she pushed the curtains back and found an empty bed. Staring at the twisted blankets blankly, Shizuka could sense the slow beginnings of horror dawning on her. Stumbling back, she whipped around to look at the room. It was as she had left it yesterday when helping Anzu get ready for bed. Desperately, she hurried to the wardrobe and counted the gowns. They were all there, meaning that Anzu had not gone out early for a brisk walk as she had hoped.

"She's gone!" She whispered and ran from the chambers, frantically crying in the corridor, "The princess is gone! Get Prince Yami, _hurry!_" Servants poked their heads from the rooms, hesitant expressions on their faces. Ignoring them, she dashed down the corridor and the flight of steps to the breakfast room where Yami was sure to be, as he rose at dawn to start the day. The king glanced at her, panting as she pattered to a stop in the breakfast room. Yami rose in his seat, alarmed. Holding a hand to her chest and pointing a finger out of the doorway, she gasped, "Anzu...She's...gone missing!"

"Missing?" The king asked, turning his head to look at her. "What are you talking about, girl?"

"I...went to wake her...but she wasn't in bed and...all of her gowns are there." She paused to wet her lips. Yami was slowly approaching her from round the table, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. "Someone took her in her sleep. There is no way she would be wandering around in her nightgown otherwise." Yami looked to his father, who merely waved a lazy hand, indicating that he could do as he wish.

"Shizuka," the prince said, taking her shoulders, "go find your brother. Tell him to get the soldiers to search the grounds for Anzu. I'm going to search her chambers." Shizuka nodded and hurried away. Yami, meanwhile, ran up to Anzu's chambers. He had an uneasy feeling. Mai had only spoken to Anzu yesterday. He had mentioned the possibility of Mai getting rid of her if she found his fiancée disagreeable, seriously believing that his sister might do such a thing. It was too much of a coincidence that Anzu would go missing only the day after. A chill ran down his back.

_Would she kill her? _He wondered. _Or would she simply transport her elsewhere, so that she's not in the way? Mai doesn't know it, but she's helping Bakura by doing this. All Bakura wanted to do was isolate me, make me miserable. Anzu is one of the last people I have that I trust and love. _He came to Anzu's bedchambers and hesitantly moved around the room, feeling uncomfortable being here without her present. It could not be helped if she was missing. _If Mai were to hide her, it wouldn't be in the castle or on the castle grounds. _Nothing was disturbed, excepting the blankets on her bed. They seemed to have been thrown away without a second thought. Abandoning the bed, he moved out onto the balcony, his hands clenching over the stone. He could see soldiers moving around on the grounds, a purpose set in their mind. _They won't find her, I am sure of it. It's best to look anyway. _

Yami stared broodingly ahead of him, his eyes pinning the thick trees. For a long time, he stared without full comprehension of what he was doing. The puzzle pieces that had been trying to fit together clicked in place and he lurched forward, his eyes shooting to twice their size. Uttering a strangled noise, he thrust away from the balcony, stumbling inside and collapsing on the bed. _The Forest of Dim... Of course Mai knew of the animals' newly violent nature. It's nearest, and no one would be there to help her. I can't send men in because they would surely die. We've _tried_ to travel through the forest. If she as vulnerable as Shizuka made it sound, in only her nightwear...Anzu is surely dead._

X

Anzu opened her eyes and jerked up in bed, startled at her unfamiliar surroundings. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and then gradually slowed as she recalled where she was and how she had gotten there. She pushed the covers back, looking down at herself. Malik had no women's clothes at hand – not that she was surprised – and so he dressed her in a loose, peach caftan that was generally worn in the warmer kingdoms. She had suspected Malik might be from a warmer region, as his looks were unlike any of the men she had met before. She stood and readjusted the sash before leaving the room. At the top of the stairs, she twisted her hair up, clasping it with the pins that she had gotten from her ruined nightgown. Satisfied that she looked somewhat respectable, she carefully descended the stairs.

As soon as she came into the kitchen, a door opened and an unfamiliar male entered. She backed into the stairs before he was given a chance to glimpse her and watched him curiously. A bit annoyed, she noticed that he, too, was handsome. His looks seemed less foreign. His chin-length hair was a shade darker than Malik's, but his skin was a lighter tan. His mouth was turned down unhappily, almost in a bad-tempered way. She pressed herself into the shadows of the stairwell as he passed through the kitchen to the den. Only then did she step from the stairs and peek around the doorway.

"About time you got back," Malik grunted from the table, shutting the book he had been perusing sharply and frowning up at the man as he moved towards the cabinets beneath the bookshelf. Anzu saw that there were bottles of alcohol and brandy glasses stored there. He took a glass and a bottle of what she guessed to be brandy, splashing the substance in a generous amount and drinking it. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Is it so important that you dragged Seto into this?" He grumbled, nodding to the third male in the room. Anzu inspected the sorcerer, Seto, shrewdly. He appeared vaguely familiar. She was certain she had seen his picture somewhere. Unlike Malik or Bakura, he was utterly expressionless. If he was bothered by being involved in their affairs, it did not seem so. If he had not glanced at them at that moment, Anzu might have suspected he was ignoring them.

"It is more important than you are assuming it to be, Bakura."

_Bakura,_ she thought. _I have heard that name somewhere. I can't think, though. My mind is so muddled right now from sleep and now that I think about it, I am famished. _She put a hand to her stomach as it gave a gurgle that she prayed none of the men had heard. Thankfully, they were all quite thoroughly engrossed in what was taking place in the den to bother about who might be spying on them from the kitchen.

"Yami's fiancée is here," Malik continued. "She was in the forest. _Don't_ ask me how she got in here, either, because she refused to tell me. She very politely said that it was none of my business." Bakura had gone still, his grumpy expression washed away. That caused Anzu to become uneasy. Apparently she was special somehow to Bakura, the way her presence was announced to him. Surely that could mean no good?

"We're not sure if they're betrothed," Seto intercepted, cutting through the thick, thoughtful silence. "They were when they were children. Things may have changed."

"Even so, that is quite fascinating," Bakura remarked, a most unpleasant smile curling his lips upward. He poured himself more brandy and took a small drink from it. "How did she survive in the forest?"

"All she was wearing was a nightgown. She didn't even have any shoes," Malik said with a tiny frown. "There were rumors to the effect that she was brought up...unconventionally, as it was put, since her father was the one that raised her. The only thing I have heard of her mother is that she set up the betrothal arrangements between her and Yami. If she had been equipped, I suppose she _might_ have been able to survive in the forest for a bit. But this deep? – And with how she was dressed? It's suspicious."

"She didn't tell you, hm?"

"No."

"We'll have to check and see if she has any magic in her – enough to transport herself. If not, then foul play was involved. That should make our options broader and even more entertaining."

Anzu shivered at the drawling voice and crept away from the doorway to the stairs. Very quietly did she ascend the stairs while the males were preoccupied with their thoughts. Once she had closed the door to Malik's room, she dived into the covers and stared into the thick darkness, trembling fearfully. The fear had made her remember who Bakura was. He had been the dark sorcerer who was supposed to be executed in Kraion, but had escaped. He was the one who supposedly had betrayed Mai's friendship. Anzu was beginning to think that he had taught Mai the dark arts. It would be no surprise. How else would she have kidnapped Anzu and taken her into the Forest of Dim?

Once her trembling had subsided, and her mind was cleared, Anzu felt unbearably alone. She would not have thought it true, but she missed Yami more than anything. She felt no hatred towards Mai – not quite – and the fear for Bakura, although there, was smothered by her want to see her fiancé. She had never imagined she would want to see Yami. _He is so much different than them, _she reflected, comparing him to the sorcerers downstairs. _He's so honest and open and _kind_. I have to get out of here...Tomorrow, I will see if I can't find a sword and a compass so that I can leave. But I have no idea where I am. I'll have to wheedle it out of Malik. That is, if Bakura hasn't killed me by then._

At the end of her dismal thoughts, she heard footsteps in the hall and then the click as the door was opened. Swallowing the panicked emotions, she steadied her breathing to long, deep breaths, closing her eyes gently to give the image of a comfortable, sleeping person. Someone approached the bed, the feather mattress sinking down slightly. Anzu felt the brush of fingers on her cheek as the blanket was pulled away from her face. Struggling to keep a calm expression while pretending to sleep, she prayed that whoever it was would leave her be.

A few seconds passed and then Malik's soft voice murmured to someone, "She's asleep." The blanket dropped, covering her face again. Relieved, Anzu continued her careful breathing, hearing two sets of footsteps enter the room. The other sorcerers were there. They were congregating in Malik's room, perhaps to murder her while she was sleeping. She half-wished she had stayed downstairs to find out why they were up here.

"You put her in your room?" Bakura's rasping voice queried.

"Where else would he put her?" The last voice, Seto's, snidely retorted. "Better his than ours, let alone the drawing room or the living room." He paused. "I don't sense any magic from her."

"I never did, either," Malik added. "Bakura?"

There was a long stretch of silence that made Anzu want to shift or at least open her eyes to see what was going on. Nonetheless, she continued her façade and hoped that none of them suspected. Finally, Bakura murmured, "Nothing, which means that someone put her here on purpose, likely to die in the Forest of Dim. Who would imagine that such a puny girl could make an enemy?"

"It is easy to make enemies in Kraion, what with your little hellion of an apprentice there," Seto dry stated. "You should never have given her a taste of the dark arts, Bakura. The animals were fine with our presence up until recently. I rather think she's the cause of it."

"Whether Mai is involved or not is hardly my concern," Bakura answered in a dismissive tone. "The woman was too impatient to deal with minor spells. I doubt that she's the reason for the princess to be in our hands, let alone the animals going out of control. She doesn't have the control, nor the ability. You might as well abandon _that_ theory. But enough...If we continue to talk like this here, we'll wake her up. I, for one, am done with talking. I'm exhausted."

"Of course you are," came Seto's sarcastic voice as footsteps rose from the floor.

Once the footsteps faded, Anzu turned the slightest bit and felt her heart leap to her throat, seeing Malik standing by the door, watching her with a shuttered expression. His lips curled upward almost laughingly. He put a finger to his lips and then turned from the room, swinging the door closed softly. Anzu sat up in bed, staring at the door, baffled. Her trembling returned, this time from being caught eavesdropping on the sorcerers' conversation. Malik did not seem like he was about to tell Bakura. Still, she did not trust him.

X

Jounouchi rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he approached Yami, his heart sinking heavily to his waist. They had searched all day for Anzu on the castle grounds and then later, in the city. There was not a trace of her. Jounouchi gave hourly reports to the prince, knowing how anxious he was. There was nothing to be done anymore, not when it was so dark and when Anzu, by all accounts, was not in Kraion.

At the moment, he was feeling as though he were drowning. His sister had been sobbing when he last saw her, convinced that her friend was dead. Yami's stolid expression was even worse. Jounouchi knew it was an automatic defense so that no one could see his true emotions. He did not fancy telling Yami that they might not be able to reclaim his fiancée. "Report," Yami quietly said as Jounouchi came to stand in front of him.

"Well..." Jounouchi cleared his throat, conscious of how unsteady his voice was. "We haven't found any trace of how she was taken from her room, nor where she might be. I'm...afraid she's not in Kraion, Yami." He spread his hands out helplessly. "We've looked in every possible place. No one has reported seeing the princess, and my men have not seen even a shred of her. No offense, but I don't think we have a very good chance of finding her." Yami was staring past him, at a point just beyond Jounouchi's shoulder.

"Thank you, Jounouchi," he told him. "I appreciate all you've done today, even if it was a wasted effort." He sighed and turned his weary, despondent gaze to meet Jounouchi's. "Did I not tell you that Mai was up to something? I know you don't want to believe it," he added as Jounouchi's mouth flew open, "but it is a bit too coincidental. Only the day after she speaks to Anzu and she goes missing? No, I'm sorry, but it is too much. I place all blame completely on her. And...I think I know where Anzu might be."

"You do? Yami, why didn't you say something? I would have sent men out – "

"I know. This, too, is a lost cause, because the men would just be killed." Yami could see that Jounouchi was thinking, his nose wrinkling slightly as he did. Although his friend could be slow at certain things, like numbers and politics, he was not stupid as many of the other soldiers assumed. He had a sharp sense of observation that no one else could claim to have, and when it came to subtle meanings like this, it only took a minute or so for him to understand.

"...The Forest of Dim?" He said in a shocked voice. "You said Bakura might be in there!"

"Which is why I am convinced she may very well be dead. I don't like thinking about my fiancéebeing deceased. What else _can_ I think, though, when there are monstrous animals that care nothing for humans and Bakura, who does not even seem to have a conscience, let alone a heart?" He shook his head. "If she had a sword or a bow and a quiver of arrows, she might have survived long enough to find a place to hide. As it is, she had nothing from what Shizuka tells me."

"We can't give up hope, Yami," Jounouchi quietly told him, reaching out to clasp his shoulder. "Anzu's stubborn. She won't let herself die, not when she's supposed to be married. Did you warn her about Mai?" Yami nodded glumly. "She probably came to the same conclusion and hates her guts now. If that's it, she's going to be pissed as hell and will want to be back to kick Mai's ass." He smiled cheerily at Yami. "Don't worry. If we can't get to her, she'll come back to us." He laughed. "Hell, maybe she'll force Bakura into helping her get back to the forest if she meets him."

X

Anzu was unaccustomed to being woken up by sunlight dancing across her eyelids. There was no sound of Shizuka's bright voice waking her up, making the experience altogether unpleasant. She rubbed her eyes and flipped the covers away, stepping out of bed. The room was cold now that she was not covered by the blanket and the floor was even colder. Noticing the window some feet from the bed that she had not seen there yesterday, she moved to it and undid the chain holding the windowpanes together, pushing them out. The morning air was cool, a brisk wake up call. As she breathed, she could see small puffs of air forming in front of her face. The forest, having looked unwholesome and evil yesterday, appeared lovely at dawn with the sun streaking down across from it, glittering between the trees and casting rays of colour on the ground.

_So...I'm facing the east here, towards Siruean. Then I have to go west, the way I came from. The mountain lion will probably want to eat me again if I go that way. I could go east towards Siruean, but I would first have to pass through Revaldi villages to get to the coast. And then I need money to get boarding for a ship to Siruean, too... It's just so complicated. My best bet is to go west, to Kraion, with or without the mountain lion._

Sighing, Anzu turned away from the window and patted at her hair, removing the pins. After combing through it and twisting it up again, pinning it back in place, she left the room. She could hear Malik's voice barking out something in a foreign language from the kitchen and a snicker from one of the other sorcerers. Cautiously, she moved down the stairs, sharply recalling how they had spoken about her last night and what type of person Bakura was. If Malik and Seto were associating with him, she wondered what type of people _they _were. _The only person I really can say is an ally is Malik, _she thought, _and hardly even that._

She peeked into the kitchen, seeing Malik and Bakura cooking at the counter in the middle of the kitchen, chopping vegetables. Bakura saw her first, raising his eyes to the staircase casually. He put down his knife and hit Malik in the shoulder with the back of his hand. Malik, too, looked up, his mouth tight with irritation. The expression cleared when he saw her. "Awake, are you?" He greeted amiably enough. She nodded and entered the kitchen, keeping her eyes away from Bakura. She wanted nothing to do with the man. "How did you sleep?"

"...Fine, for a person who is stranded in the middle of a forest," she answered a bit tartly. One of his eyebrows rose in a mild manner. Since he knew she had heard their conversation, she suspected he understood her feelings perfectly well. Anzu flicked a look at Bakura to see what his reaction was. Her cheeks warmed indignantly, seeing a smirking, amused expression on his face. She knew she was bound to hate him more than she feared him. "Would you like my help?" She asked Malik, nodding to the vegetables. He stared at her and then looked at the vegetables, clueless.

"You know how to cook?" He managed after puzzling it over in his head.

"I'm not an ordinary princess."

"What a relief," Bakura remarked, forcing her to look at him. "I feared we were going to have to deal with one of those spoiled, foul-tempered brats that only know how to sew – and not even that, most of the time." Anzu's eyes narrowed irritably. Bakura merely grinned. It had been some time since he was able to irritate a person so easily. She was just as fun to play with as her fiancé was. Admittedly, Bakura missed those days of pissing Yami off. Malik knew how to turn his insults back at him, having a similar personality to Bakura's, and Seto would simply turn away and ignore him.

"As it happens, I am as foul-tempered as the lot of them," Anzu told him. "I might not be in my kingdom, nor in Kraion, but I _am_ a princess. I expect to be treated with at least a _bit_ of respect."

"A princess that cooks?" He returned. "I've never heard of such a thing. I believe you may be a fraud, dear lady." He gave a sarcastic bow, graceful though it was. He saw her eyes move to his knife lying on the cutting board. He seized it before she could get any wild ideas of bounding over the counter and stabbing him with it. That would be a bit inconvenient to his future plans. After all, he hardly wanted to boast in the underworld that he had been killed by a princess the first day he met her. Not to mention, such a small little princess. He wondered vaguely if she ate at all.

"Can I trust you with a knife?" Malik asked, cutting into their exchange, waving his own knife.

"_You_ can," she said. "I cannot assure you that _he_ can." Bakura grinned tauntingly and set the knife on the cutting board again.

"I have some things to do before breakfast is ready, anyway," he said, moving towards the door behind her. He paused, murmuring in her ear, "But I would be careful how to treat us around here, princess. We have a tendency to play with our food before we kill it." She turned to stare at him, her face pale. Satisfied his message had been received, Bakura waved a hand to Malik and left through the door.

X

DIS: Well, there's the fourth chapter. Sorry for the, er, shortness of it. Hopefully longer chapters to come...Please leave a review on the way out, telling me how it is so far. Ideas and constructive comments embraced. Ciao!


	5. Chapter Five

_Thanks to __**everyone**__ who reviewed!!! _

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Five_

Malik watched as the door swung shut and looked to Anzu with a tiny grin playing at the ends of his mouth. Bakura and Seto both had the types of intimidating personalities that one threatening word from them brought a person to their knees. He supposed it was a good thing for Anzu that she had made enemies with Bakura and not himself. He was not usually inclined to give warnings. Seto gave one and after that, anything was possible. Bakura, because he liked to draw things out, gave several warnings and kept a person on edge. Overall, Malik preferred his way. _At least I won't have to kill Anzu, _he reflected. _She'll entertain Bakura for awhile and keep him busy. Neither Seto nor I will deal with him, since he'll be busy aggravating her instead. _"Go ahead and chop some onions," he said, gesturing to the onions that Bakura had been chopping.

"Sure..." Anzu rounded the counter and picked up the knife. "Malik, can I ask what made you come in the company of Bakura?"

"Do you know who he is?" He questioned curiously. She nodded, frowning slightly. She left the counter to go to the sink, turning the faucet on cold and cutting the onion beneath the running water. "Bakura built this cottage for his own personal uses before Seto and I came. He was, I guess you know, the court sorcerer in Kraion. He had been interested in the Dark Arts ever since he was a kid, before he even went through the academy to become an official sorcerer. Once he was assured that his position was secured, he started getting involved in the Dark Arts. This was before he even became court sorcerer. I don't think anyone suspected until a years before he fled to the forest.

"Seto was the court sorcerer before Bakura, dabbling in the Dark Arts enough to get notice. They took him to trial and exiled him. The problem with him is that anything that promises him power gets him interested. That was the only reason he agreed to become court sorcerer. He wandered around the neighboring kingdoms for awhile until finding us."

"And you? What's your story?" Anzu asked, returning to the counter and setting the chopped onions on the counter. "You don't seem all that bad like Bakura." Malik almost laughed at her naïveté.

"I am just as involved in the Dark Arts as Bakura, princess. I happen to be a little more messed up in the head than him, even. In my kingdom, it is _very_ easy to kill a person and hide their body. Many there perform dark magic. It is, at times, the basis for many of the things we do. I took it to a level they found uncomfortable. I killed several people in power, even the last king. Everyone says that he died of a disease, but it was because he denied a petition of mine." He glanced at Anzu to see that she was staring at him with horror-stricken eyes. "I have no reason to kill you yet." She slammed the knife down on the counter and dashed past the counter and out through the door. He called, unbothered, "Don't go past the barrier! Even you should be able to feel that."

A few minutes after the door had crashed behind her, Seto slipped into the kitchen and took Anzu's place, rinsing the carrots off and then cutting them. "You should have let one of us tell her about you, Malik," he said in his simplistic, calm manner. "She trusted you far more than us. She'll be harder to keep from killing herself. Bakura won't like that. He'll want to use her for his own means."

"She was bound to try and get out of here anyway," Malik dismissed with a shrug. "I wouldn't be too concerned at the present time. I'll give her some space, and then go look for her." He paused, raising an eyebrow at Seto. "Unless you would prefer to take that particular task from my hands. I told her the least about you because you asked. You have a less violent history, so I think she would trust you best at the moment."

For this, Seto had no response.

Outside, Anzu sat huddled in the shed full of vegetables, her back pressed securely against the wall. Her eyes stared listlessly ahead in a sulky stare and her wounded foot stung a bit from running on it. It was beginning to occur to her that, unless she found a way out, she was stuck with those murderous sorcerers. She had thought that the only person there that was worth worrying about was Bakura. Malik, with all his charming smiles and friendly personality, should have been the one without a horrible nature in him. Instead, it was the bland Seto who seemed not to have killed a man. _From what Malik told me, anyway, _she thought glumly. _Who knows if he really did or not? _

She looked beside her and saw a rough bag of rhubarb. She took a piece and broke an end off, chomping on the rest. The stew Malik and Bakura had been preparing looked delicious. _It's too bad I hate them, _she mused, _or else I could have stayed and helped make it. I bet it's really good..._ After eating a few of the other vegetables, she pushed her hands through her hair and left the shed. There were two larger sheds, side-by-side on the other side of the clearing. She jogged there, hoping no one saw her, and ignoring her foot. The one shed on the right that was drooping down dangerously was spitting out magic for even her to feel. Turning to the other one, she opened the door and saw that it had tools and weapons. _Just what I needed! _

After she dug out a pair of oversized, worn moccasins from a box in the corner, Anzu slung a quiver of arrows around her and grabbed a bow. She took a short sword and a sheath just in case, clasping it around her waist and slipped out of the shed, peering around thoughtfully. _I'll go through the edge of the woods. Malik might see me, but I won't be as obvious as I would be in the clearing._ Satisfied, she hurried into the forest and traveled on the edge of it, watching the cottage for movement. Once she was on the western side like she wanted, she began to run straight ahead and away from the comfort of the cottage.

X

In Siruean, Anzu's kingdom, utter chaos was unfolding. Jounouchi had respectfully sent a bird with a note attached to its leg to the palace to inform them of their princess's disappearance. Somehow, it had slipped to the people, and they were pointing their fingers directly at the king and prince of Kraion. Otogi, Anzu's younger brother by a year, was more inclined to point the finger at the princess of Kraion, who was a well-known sorceress. Although no one knew it, Otogi was an adept sorcerer himself and his sister's disappearance reeked of dark magic.

"That woman?" Otogi's father roared incredulously when he mentioned it. Beside him, his mother was sitting serenely. She was generally quiet and rarely ever spoke up against her husband. The only time she had shown a backbone was in Anzu's betrothal arrangements, for reasons that Otogi had always wondered about. He worried now that his mother had a bit of magic in her blood and was a partner in this scheme that Mai had apparently drawn up.

"You think she's not capable of it?" Otogi demanded in return, glaring threateningly. While his father and sister got along famously, Otogi was constantly butting heads with his father. He went out at night to the local taverns to flirt with girls and drink, and purposely ignored all his tutors during the day. He had all the content stored in his brain, though, for when he needed it. He could teach himself – which he did – and didn't need boring, old idiots droning on about one thing or another. "The princess of Kraion is a self-proclaimed sorceress, and it's been rumored that she associated with Bakura, the last court sorcerer in Kraion. If you remember, he was most involved in the Dark Arts and killed people for his own enjoyment." Otogi slammed his fists on the desk that his parents were seated behind. "I won't ignore this! You want to blame the king and prince just because they're easier to attack. I'm convinced that Mai did something to our sister! She probably wants the throne for herself – or is acting on Bakura's behalf. One or the other, she needs to be stopped."

"My son, you are being rash," his mother spoke softly, "just as your father is. We cannot jump to outrageous decisions such as this. It may not have even been someone in the royal family. If we continue to look there, we'll start a war that Siruean cannot afford. We are a _gentle_ country, while Kraion has men and forces that are trained specifically for wartime. Our soldiers are trained to protect, only to kill if it is necessary. We must consider _all_ possibilities."

"But _mother _– " He began indignantly. She held up a hand, silencing him.

"I'm not saying it isn't possible, Otogi. Indeed...Mai has the most potential. She is a rather unpleasant woman, very resentful towards her brother. But for now, we must communicate with the king and see what it is that he thinks." She put her index fingers together, peering at Otogi over the tips, a smile curling her lips upward. "It is too bad we cannot go there ourselves and see behind the words. We could figure out what has happened sooner." Her eyes twinkled knowingly. Otogi blinked, stunned, as he realized that his mother knew of his magical abilities and was subtly asking for him to find at way to Kraion.

"Yes...That is true," the king mused aloud. "People can lie easily in letters." He scowled. "Because those damn animals in the Forest of Dim have gone berserk on us, we can't go anywhere on the other side of it."

_It doesn't matter, _Otogi thought, glancing at his mother, who was gazing at him meaningfully, _because I can get there without any work at all. _

After Otogi excused himself from his father's office, he left to his own chambers and locked the doors securely. He focused on the kingdom of Kraion, to transport himself there, and a moment later there were twinkling sparks around his body before he disappeared and reappeared at the edge of the kingdom, some ways from the Forest of Dim.

He paused very briefly to gaze around. He had never been in Kraion or anywhere near it, even as a child. The glade surrounding the kingdom's walls was of cat tails, shimmering as the wind slid over it, shifting them in a tantalizing gesture. Behind him was the Forest of Dim. It looked deceptively beautiful with tall, looming trees with white trunks and dark indents in the bark. Moss grew on the ground of the forest and at the bottom of the trees. The leaves settled on the trees were wide, dark emerald, and star-shaped. If the animals had not begun to rage in the forest, Otogi might have said the trees were quite a soothing picture to look upon. On the outskirts of the forest, a little less than a mile away, were rows of cottonwood trees. The cotton floated languidly from the tops, white, petite pieces of fluff that clung to the cat tails, giving the scenery an enchanting appearance.

He briskly walked towards the edge of the kingdom. There were sentries at the gateway, chatting to each other. Seeing him striding across the drawbridge and in clothing that was distinctly foreign, they gave a squawk of surprise. "Sir, you can't come through here," one of them said, stepping in front of him. "These days we have to call the, er, Master of the Guard, even if he is unofficial. After all, you _are_ a foreigner." Otogi assumed they were speaking of Jounouchi, the man that had signed the letter informing them of Anzu's disappearance. He suspected he was at the castle and seeing as how that was away from the city, it would take the man at least an hour to get there on horseback. Otogi was in no mood to spare that much time just so he could get into the city. He might allow at the castle, but not here.

"Is that right?" Otogi queried pleasantly. "Then how about this? I'll go back to Siruean and tell them that some stupid ass _sentry_ denied me entrance into the city where my _sister_ is one day going to be queen. Then, I'll send a note to the prince and at night, I'll make sure you suffer because, if you haven't, noticed, MY SISTER IS MISSING." The sentries gawked at him, both frightened and horrified. Otogi hastily calmed his temper; after all, he was leaving that for the prince to deal with.

"S-sorry, Prince Otogi," the other stuttered, his eyes huge. He shoved his companion away and ushered him through the gateway. Otogi smiled.

"Thank you," he cheerfully said, moving through the entrance at the same pace he had approached the city. He wasted no time in finding the public stables and ordered a fine horse, depositing some coins in the stable boy's hands. The boy's eyes rounded as he looked at the gold coins and turned to stare at him. Otogi swept up onto the saddle and said, "Your horse will, hopefully, be back by the end of the day." He snapped the reins and the horse broke into a trot, escaping the stifling air of the stables. _Now...It's time to find out what's really going on here._

Meanwhile, the prince of the castle had locked himself in his chambers and was currently standing at the balcony doors, an arm crossed over his chest with his other hand propped against it. He leaned his cheek against his hand, his fingers splayed across his cheek in solemn thought. Mai had been scarce ever since Anzu had gone missing, claiming sickness. When he had gone to see her, she truly had been sick, not at all the beauty she normally appeared. Despite his suspicions, he had felt a bit of sympathy for her as he had gazed at her frail, worn body in the oversized bed.

_But is it because of getting rid of Anzu that she looked that way? _Yami mused presently, staring broodingly through the glass doors to the Forest of Dim that stretched far across the landscape. There was just _something_ that told him that his fiancée was in the forest with the wild animals and possibly Bakura. It was the only place that Mai would know Anzu would be eliminated without putting blood on her own hands. _Anzu has always been able to take care of herself without me, _he thought, sighing and putting a hand on the wall, rubbing his face with a hand. _She's resourceful. She might have been able to hide out somewhere and avoid the animals. I just hope..._ His thoughts trailed off as he lowered his hand from his face and stared down at his boots with a saddened expression.

A knock sounded on his door at that moment. Scowling, he snapped, "I'm busy!"

"Yami, it's me," Jounouchi called from the other side. "We've got a problem."

_What's new? _was the dry thought that entered Yami's mind. Sighing, he pushed away from the wall and moved through his bedchambers to the drawing room adjoining it, unlocking the door and flinging it open irritably. Jounouchi rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. He was wearing a plain outfit of a white shirt with thin strings loosely tied at the collar, and a cotton gray jacket and breeches, a slightly similar outfit to Yami's. The prince's was of better quality and hadn't been worn in for the past few days.

"A gatekeeper sent me a message saying that Anzu's brother is heading towards the castle," he told Yami as he stepped in and shut the door behind him. Yami, who had paced a few steps back, turned to stare at him incredulously. "Don't ask me." He held up his hands, palm outward, in defense. "I don't have a clue how he got here. Apparently he came up from the Forest of Dim, so..." Jounouchi shrugged his shoulders helplessly while Yami turned from him to go to the window. He could not stop looking at the Forest of Dim. Perhaps it was because he knew that was where Anzu was, but if he had his eyes trained on the woods, he could concentrate.

_As far as I know, Anzu has no magical bloodlines in her family, but it has been known for a family member to have magic without knowing it. If either of Anzu's parents have any magic, it's possible for her brother to acquire it and have it come through more powerfully in his blood. _Yami briefly closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead wearily. _He must have transported here without needing to go through the Forest of Dim at all. _

"Yami...?" His companion hesitantly queried. "What should I do? He's going to want clearance to your chambers once he arrives."

"Send him through," he mumbled, straightening. "It's not as if I can deny my future brother-in-law." He glanced behind him to see Jounouchi nod and move towards the door. "Thank you, Jounouchi, for being so patient." The latter paused and turned to smile reassuringly.

"I know how upset you are," Jounouchi responded easily. "It's not like I expect you to be the same as always." Yami gave a thankful look before returning to staring out the window, listening to Jounouchi exit the room.

Yami could feel the seconds tick by as he stood, numerous thoughts moving through his mind. He could not stop thinking about Mai's weak form in bed. It did not even seem as though she had made herself that way; it had been as if something was eating at her from the inside. _She uses magic to keep herself beautiful and attractive to men, _he realized suddenly. There was always a subtle pull he felt whenever he was around her that hadn't been there when he had checked in on her that morning. _So apparently she depleted her magic from whatever spell she used to get Anzu to the forest. _He frowned, perplexed. _That doesn't explain why she was affected so badly. I don't understand any of this. Did Mai hate Anzu so much that she would risk harming herself? _

"Hmm," he mumbled to himself. "This is over my head." There was a quick knock on the door before it swung open, revealing Jounouchi, who ushered a younger male into the room. Yami's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. Anzu's brother, Otogi, was not what he had been expecting. He was handsome, and almost feminine with his slender figure and fashionable taste. His hair was drawn up into a tail, bangs falling down to frame his face, and his wide, green eyes glared back at him from a face that seemed more beautiful than anything. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Yami said, "You must be Anzu's brother. I'm surprised we've never met before."

"Indeed," Otogi agreed. "It is unfortunate."

_So he's going to be sarcastic, _Yami thought, his mouth turning down unhappily. _He's not as different from Anzu as I originally thought._

"Listen, you," Otogi continued, ignoring the dark look Jounouchi had turned on him, "I don't really have time for sitting on my ass all day. I know this will come as a surprise to you, but I like to take action when someone I love is missing. Maybe you don't love my sister – I don't really care – but I do and I want to know what the hell is going on around here." The younger prince looked to Yami, noticing just then that there was a mask of rage covering his features. His mouth was drawn into a tight, furious line, but he did not say anything or so much as move a finger.

"Do you think...that I have not tried to do anything?" Yami slowly asked, his voice surprisingly steady. Otogi tilted his head slightly, curious in spite of himself why his sister's fiancé was controlling his anger when he could have simply blew up on him. It was _his_ kingdom they were in, after all. "There is very little I can do at this point, my prince, when I cannot get to the place that Anzu is."

"What, is she in another dimension?"

Yami gave a bitter laugh. "If only. No. She's in the Forest of Dim."

X

Seto looked up in utter boredom as a knock came on his study. He knew it was Malik, so he simply said in a slightly raised voice, "I know," to the younger male. The knocking ceased and he could hear Malik retreat back to his own room. He returned to his brooding, staring down at the book he had been perusing. When he had been exiled from Kraion, he had taken all his precious books, his gold, and clothes. At times, he regretted ever getting involved in the Dark Arts. To be sure, he never would have associated with the likes of Malik or Bakura if not for his exiled state; that was a subtle understanding between the two and him. He had been trying to forget the past and look into the future, but there was not much left for him to look towards.

Marking his place in the book, Seto rose from his seat and resigned himself to the task of persuading the princess to return to the cottage. He hated dealing with princesses. Even though this one was unlike the others, he still considered them bothersome and wanted to be rid of Anzu as soon as possible. He wasn't about to get rid of her himself, as Seto was not a particularly bloodthirsty male like Malik or Bakura was. Besides, that would surely be getting involved in Bakura's plans for the princess and that was the last thing he wanted to do. The guy really had one of the worst temper tantrums Seto had ever witnessed.

Once he had descended the stairs and slipped through the kitchen and out the back door, he stood thoughtfully as he considered over where she might have hidden out here. He let out a tendril of his magic to probe for human life. He was hardly in the mood to go walking back and forth in case she decided to play a trick on him. He frowned when he detected no human life in the clearing. He swept his magic over it once more and then slid it over the cottage when he came up with the same results. The only person he sensed was Malik.

This was not good.

Sighing through his nostrils, Seto pivoted on his foot and entered the cottage, returning to the second floor. He passed his room and knocked on Malik's door. "Malik, we have a problem." Malik's door opened a second later, his handsome face twisted irritably.

"You could have been a little gentler with your magic instead of knocking me into the wall, asshole." Seto merely stared at him, raising an eyebrow irritably. Huffing, Malik leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, saying, "Well? What's the problem we appear to have?"

"The girl has left. Into the forest, I suspect."

For a moment, Malik thought Seto was playing a practical joke on him. Recalling that this particular sorcerer likely did not even _know_ what a joke was, he straightened quickly and whirled in his room, shoving his boots on. He supposed he should have known that the idiot girl would leave the clearing, especially if she was under the impression that she would be housed under a roof with two dark sorcerers that had killed and one who had the potential. And yet, he had hoped she would remember her encounter with the mountain lion and think before trying something so dangerous. After lacing and tying his second boot, he groaned miserably.

As if knowing his thoughts, Seto remarked in an almost interested tone, "She must have found the weapons in the shed. I don't think she would have gone into the forest otherwise." Malik glared at him and grabbed his cloak from the bed and clasped it securely at his throat. Seto gave a smirk of smug satisfaction.

_He has the most boring, most annoying personality one single person can have, _Malik decided to himself. "You go and look for the girl while I try and find Bakura. We're going to need him for this." Seto's smirk slid off his mouth and he looked decidedly moody at the task he was given. Malik grinned and then the two of them left outside, vanishing from the clearing to different parts of the forest.

X

Anzu never once forgot the training her father gave her when she was younger. As she walked through the forest, she could feel it returning to her. Unlike the first time when she had been confused and frightened, running through the woods, her mind was clear and she held her head up confidently. The feel of the slick wood of her bow in her hands reassured her, the soft shifting of the short sword at her hip giving her a sense of a power. Her eyes skimmed her surroundings briskly, taking in details in abundance. _"The trick is to look closely without looking for an extended amount of time," _she recalled her father telling her. _"Take quick glances, but never let your eyes stop. If you do that, you're sure to get yourself in trouble. You never know what might happen in that second your gaze stills." _

Thinking on this made Anzu's heart heavy, thinking of the people she loved most. It had been such a long time since she last saw her father. Whenever she would ask Yami if she could go to Siruean, he would give his gentle smile and tell her that there was far too much to get done at Kraion that he could not afford to have her leave. And it wasn't only her father that she missed, but Yami, too. She was so used to seeing him every day, talking to him closely. There were times when they were in her room that they would clasp hands and simply lean their foreheads against each other's, their eyes closed. _I miss him so badly, _she thought, gripping her bow tighter and pausing to throw a swift look over her shoulder. _Even when I went to Siruean, Yami would keep in contact with me. I haven't heard his voice for two days, let alone talk to him in any other way._

The impact of that realization shook her so badly that she backed away into a tree, biting down on her lip as her stomach churned. _I am so lonely without him. When did I start to need him like this? _She leaned against the tree for a few more moments and then pushed away from it, hastening her pace. She had been moving at a moderate pace for the sake of her injured foot, which stung even with the extra padding of the moccasins. She knew it hadn't been a very good idea to walk such a long distance after harming her foot, but she felt that she would endure it over the possibility of being killed by one of the three sorcerers.

She was almost jogging through the woods, not bothering with trying to be quiet. She continued to survey the forestry and knew that it was not even close to the place she had been when she first woke up in the forest. This did not bode well for her, seeing as how she had been far enough away from Kraion in the first place. _I wonder if I will have to find a place to hide out during the night, _she thought vaguely. _I suppose I should have considered how far away I was from the kingdom before traipsing into a forest where there are deadly animals. _She gently stroked the bow with her thumb. _I have weapons. I can protect myself._

However, as she continued to jog and heard something running alongside with her some ways from her, she was not so confident. She could see nothing, which only meant that the something was hidden by the trees and other plants. This did not reassure her. She stopped in her jogging, looking behind her and then listening closely, noticing that the movements had slowed, apparently aware that she had stopped. Then, there was utter silence in the forest excepting the sounds of birds high, high up in the trees.

"_Never let the animal attack first,"_ her dad had told her when talking of hunting the more vicious animals. _"If you attack first, you have a greater chance of coming out the victor. Always show them who is at the top of the food chain, Anzu, and have no fear. They can smell your emotions and the last thing you want is a bear picking up your anxiety." _

"I'm not going to let you stop me," she said, locking on a familiar pair of amber eyes that blinked at her from between two bushes, the leaves overhead casting the mountain lion's head in shadow. "Not now, not ever."

X

DIS: Not much happened in this one, I guess. I'm looking for a good beta for this story, one that can get the chapters back to me quick. Anyone interested? Please leave a review telling me how y'all liked it. Ciao!


	6. Chapter Six

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Six_

Bakura blew a bit of dust from his hand, frowning at it irritably. If there was one thing he hated, it was when the ingredients he needed for brews and potions suddenly became scarce. It meant he not only had to travel further into the forest, but into unfamiliar territory. It hadn't been such a problem when the animals just stared at him with big, stupid eyes and stood to the side; however, now that they enjoyed wrecking havoc on anything human and lately, each other, unfamiliar territory was unsafe and he rarely was able to get what he wanted without being attacked every five seconds.

A soft wind blew over him, the scent foreign and distinctly familiar. Bakura turned his head the slightest bit to raise his eyebrows at Malik, asking rather rudely, "What do you want?" Neither of his house companions ever came out looking for him unless it was an emergency, seeing as how Bakura was the one who stocked their cabinets with both food and ingredients for their miscellaneous brews. Out of all of them, Malik used the ingredients the most for things that Bakura assumed were things he did not want to know about.

"I would have thought it was obvious, seeing as how the only troublesome thing is that princess of yours," Malik pleasantly responded. Bakura turned his head and sighed, frowning at the granules of scarlet dust he had been analyzing. He supposed Malik was right. Why _else _would he come looking for Bakura when that spitfire of a woman wanted to cause trouble? He rose to his feet and turned to face Malik, who, although younger than him by a year, held more knowledge in the Dark Arts than Bakura could possibly want.

"I still need her," he stated plainly. "I don't want her getting herself killed or running off to whine to Yami about how I threatened her."

"I think what you really mean is that you're bored and you want her to stay so you can play with her emotions," Malik corrected with a smile in place. Bakura waved a hand dismissively, as if saying that it meant the same thing. "Look, I don't really care what you want her for, whether it's just for taunting her or fucking her, alright? The fact of the matter is that she ran off after I gave her a brief history on us and she went into the forest."

"Of course she did," Bakura grunted, shaking out of his cloak. "Well, where's Seto?"

"I sent him looking for her. If anyone can find people fast, it's Seto."

The latter snorted in disbelief and turned his gaze from Malik to survey his surroundings. He had barely known the princess and yet he had managed to get a very firm grasp on her character. The woman, above all, was ruled by instinct in dangerous situations rather than intelligence. She was stubborn, as well, and with an attitude that was not altogether ladylike. Bakura could help but think to himself that she was more of the type of woman that needs to lead people rather than be led. His mouth curled contemptuously. _No wonder Yami is engaged to her. He's too ruled by his scruples and loyalty to his kingdom that he wouldn't know how to be evil if someone gave him step-by-step instructions to it. _

Bakura released a sigh and glanced at Malik, pushing a hand through his hair in an exasperated gesture. "Alright, fine...I might as well go find the stupid woman before she kills herself." He crossed his arms, frowning thoughtfully. "She was sleeping in your room last night, I presume?"

"Yes," Malik said. "Do you think she figured this out before she actually did it?"

"She is not entirely without intelligence," Bakura remarked with a careless shrug. "You never know – she may have been thinking of running."

Malik's expression turned a bit black at this. "Well, she isn't going to get very far. She seems to have forgotten that she was injured the other day." He gave a disgusted sound and shook his head, looking suitably ruffled. Bakura eyed him, but chose not to comment on his behavior. Since meeting him, Bakura had discovered that Malik, even as an attractive male, had a particular hate for the female race. Or at least certain actions of women, anyway. There were times when the younger male would fondly recollect his memories in Hoshäi and the women he enjoyed his time with; other times, however, he held only distaste for women. His words were nothing but scathing. Bakura expected the reason for that to come out at some point, likely when it was just the two of them alone.

"Ignore it," he advised. Malik glanced at him irritably. "Women rarely ever move wisely when they are frightened. In any case," he raised a hand in farewell, "I am off to see what I can do about our escaped princess."

"Enjoy yourself."

"Oh, I imagine I will," Bakura assured with a smirk.

Somewhere far from where Bakura and Malik had been, Seto was wandering through the forest in utter boredom. While Bakura and Malik's powers were limited to certain areas, mostly in the Dark Arts and magic used for survival, Seto had powers that extended into different fields and made it so that he was given what he considered the easier tasks of life. Looking for an escaping princess was, in his opinion, one of the dullest things for him to waste his time on.

Sighing through his nose, Seto paused in his steps and appeared in a different section of the forest, moving in a semi-circle before reaching out with his magic, craning his neck to the side, as though listening to something. His magic was thrown back at him and he shielded against it, curling his lip as Bakura appeared before him, grinning pleasantly. "I see you decided to disrupt me," he grunted.

"Not at all," Bakura replied cheerfully enough. Seto turned his back to him and made a semi-circle with his footsteps again, repeating the process. Bakura remained respectfully silent as Seto's magic reached out as far as it was allowed. When Seto turned back to him, Bakura queried, "Having trouble finding her?"

"No," was the flat response he received. "There is no trouble involved – she simply has gotten further than I anticipated. Apparently she left almost immediately after she fled from the kitchen." Seto disappeared and Bakura followed him to the next section. As though they had only been strolling, Seto continued, "Malik should not have told her about our pasts if he wanted to keep her there. I see no reason why to retrieve her if she does not appreciate our hospitality."

"Because she may be betrothed to Yami and therefore is one out of four things that I was unable to eliminate that Yami holds dear." Seto turned his head slightly to look at Bakura. The shorter sorcerer merely returned his look with a raised eyebrow.

With Bakura, it was difficult to understand his actions and especially understand his thoughts. Seto was able to speak more easily with Malik since the male from Hoshäi had no qualms with giving blunt answers and being as transparent as possible. To him, it was in his blood to be such. In Hoshäi, compared to Kraion, there were no consequences in being honest and doing as they wished. There were very few laws that ruled the people of Hoshäi. In theory, it seemed to be a perfect place to live. Somehow, by Malik's somewhat bitter way of speaking of it, Seto did not think it was such.

_Bakura certainly has kept his feelings of Kraion and other such things quiet, _Seto mused as he sent out his magic once again. _The only thing he has expressed any feelings towards is the prince. _"Exactly why is it that you want the prince to be so isolated?" Seto queried, rather than thinking about it to himself.

"I want Kraion for myself," Bakura answered simply. "I will have the power to take it and keep the people under control. There will be very little that can stop me. The only sorcerers I can think that may pose a threat are those from Malik's home country. From what I have heard, they dislike all people in this region because of their law-abiding ways. I imagine they will give me no trouble at all."

"Hmm, so you say," Seto murmured and then moved towards the next section. He frowned, feeling that there was a good deal of tension in this part of the forest. Although no one but a few people knew it, the trees in the Forest of Dim held a good deal of magic. It was not magic that could be mastered by any living human, but created by nature and animals. That magic was alive among these trees. Seto suspected it was one of the animals that were rousing the magic. If so, either two animals were fighting or Anzu was being attacked. Unbothered by either prospects, Seto moved in a semi-circle and his magic instantly found her. "Your princess is that way," Seto told him, nodding towards where his magic clashed against nature's magic. "I'll be returning to the cottage."

"You're not interested in seeing her harassed?" Bakura sarcastically questioned.

"She is already being harassed. I am hardly going to watch you harass her after she is torn to pieces by a mountain lion." Seto then disappeared, leaving Bakura to rescue the princess of Siruean.

X

Anzu flinched as she leapt away from the lion that lunged towards her. She had been foolish, tromping into the forest so soon, especially as her foot had had only a day's resting time since it was injured. Her wound was burning and it took a great deal of effort to ignore the pain. It felt as though a creature was trapped beneath the bandages, trying to emerge. The burning around her wound was almost worse than the pain. She was barely able to limp around to avoid the mountain lion.

She had done well at first, even inflicting some wounds upon the deranged creature, but it never slowed down despite the blood matting its tawny coat. It was beginning to occur to her how abnormal its behavior was; no animal would continue to fight in this manner while injured. And after those first ten, twenty minutes, her foot had begun to protest against her movements.

_That's just it, _she thought weakly, watching as the mountain lion circled her, its eyes flashing angrily, hungrily. _It isn't only that my foot hurts – it's almost as though it's infected. _It did not take long for an infected wound to affect the body, as it seemed to be doing with Anzu. She was feverish and sweaty, her hands barely able to hold onto the hilt of the sword. It repeatedly slipped between her sweaty palms, making it difficult to grasp. Her bangs had been pasted to her forehead and she was weaker than was normal. Her knees shook with the effort of remaining upright.

She tensed as the mountain lion paused, its tail flicking back and forth, shifting leaves.

As it pounced, she barely managed to swing herself out of the way. She flinched as its claws tore through her arm and she stumbled back into a tree, hitting her foot against the trunk. She stifled a gasp as her foot screamed in pain and the creature seemed to claw at her flesh, desperate to escape. She almost wished that it would leave her foot. Perhaps then it would not hurt as much.

The mountain lion could sense her weakness and seemed to sneer at her, amused, as though saying, "Not strong anymore, are you?" As it crouched to pounce again, Anzu knew she would not be able to avoid its attack. There was a sudden crack and the beast let out a horrible, high pitched yowl as its fur took fire. Anzu stared, uncomprehending, as her eyelids grew heavy. She shuddered as the mountain lion rolled on the ground, burning alive before her eyes. She closed her eyes and dropped the sword, covering her ears so that she did not have to hear its pained screams.

"Not exactly intelligent, are you?" A mild voice questioned near her, just below the frightful sounds the mountain lion was making. With something of an effort, she opened her eyes to see Bakura in front of her, his arms folded over his chest. She parted her lips to say something, to retort, but the scene swayed before her and as she took a step forward, the pain in her foot became too much and she collapsed forward.

Bakura caught her as she went down, frowning. His eyes slid down to the moccasins she was wearing and he scowled. Ignoring the dying beast behind him, he crouched down and removed the moccasins, tossing them aside. He glanced at the broken bow slung on her shoulder and the empty quiver. He removed them both from her and laid them next to the moccasins, peeling the bandages from her foot. "Ugh...Stupid woman," he muttered, seeing that a nasty infection was festering on her foot. The bandages were filthy, both from her running without shoes from the cottage and from the moccasins that had been sitting in the shed for who-knew-how-long.

Gathering her in his arms, Bakura glanced at the whimpering mountain lion and then disappeared, moving towards the cottage with his magic.

X

Otogi paced in the room that Yami had given him for the stay. His heart had not stopped racing since his meeting with Yami and every once in awhile, it would stutter, threatening to halt. For once in a long time, Otogi was frightened - frightened for his sister.

"_...The Forest of Dim?" Otogi repeated blankly after Yami had told him. It was clear to both the prince of Kraion and Jounouchi that Anzu's brother was having trouble processing this information. He was, in fact, trying to calm the panic that was rising in his chest. He and Anzu had always been particularly close and the idea that his sister was being torn apart by the savage animals in the forest was causing problems for his heart at the moment. He forced a feeble laugh from his lips and said, "You must be joking. How would she have gotten in there?" His mind bolted back to his original theory after he had asked the question._

"_I have my suspicions," Yami quietly told Otogi, his eyes sympathetic and soft. The anger that had been bubbling on the surface of his calm exterior had vanished, likely seeing the horror on Otogi's face. "I have yet to confirm them, but – "_

"_Your damn sister," Otogi growled, his eyes darting around the room. He was not quite sure what it was that he was looking for, he just could not stand that look in Yami's eyes anymore. They were tearing him apart. "Your damn..._sister_ did this to Anzu." Yami stared at him as Otogi violently threw himself across the room, pacing angrily. He had very little control over himself at that moment. "She's the only sorceress in Kraion, let alone sorcerer."_

"_Magic is rare now, yes," Yami agreed. "At least in this region." Otogi did not appear to care what Yami was saying, pacing around the chambers, his green eyes flashing from object to object, trying to find some semblance of calm. It was proving difficult and it was only when he looked out the window and was faced with the forest that he halted. He stared for a long moment, rubbing his fingers together anxiously. Tiny sparks of magic erupted from his fingertips, which he ignored. _

"_There are other sorcerers in there," he told Yami in a flat voice._

"_I thought it was just Bakura?" Jounouchi questioned in a puzzled tone._

"_No, not just Bakura. Mai likely knows it, as well. Everyone's magic has a different...feel, I guess, you would say. There are three different types of magic and I can sense a fourth one. It doesn't feel exactly human, though, or even _real_, to be honest. If Anzu is truly in the Forest of Dim, she will be dealing with more than just the animals." His tongue darted out to wet his lips and he whipped around to face the two males. Yami was still standing, his eyes mildly surveying Otogi. There was, however, the slightest bit of worry on his face, as if he suspected that the prince was beginning to lose his sanity._

"_Please sit down," Yami said, gesturing to the divan. Otogi wildly looked at where he waved his hand. After a pregnant pause, Otogi approached the divan and settled on it. Yami sighed softly, rubbing his face. "I understand that you're worried, Otogi. I assure you that I am, too, especially with that added piece of information. But for the moment, I have to ask you to _please_ just calm yourself and not make any rash moves. We need to plan – really plan. You're a sorcerer, as you implied, but one sorcerer cannot fend off three, let alone enter the Forest of Dim and be able to maneuver through it. I would feel safer if someone else was with you. To do that, we need to contact other sorcerers and make a plan for this."_

"_A plan," Otogi murmured in a hollow voice._

_  
"Please," Yami added, his brows knitting together a bit desperately._

"_...How long will it take you to formulate it, Yami?"_

"_I intend to do it as quickly as possible without making mistakes."_

Otogi began to rub his fingers again, hardly conscious of doing so. He had lost track of how long he had been in the room. All he knew was that he was becoming anxious again. With a deep breath, he calmed his breathing that was becoming a bit fast and paused in his pacing, standing in the middle of the room and steadying his breathing. His heart slowed a bit and a moment of clarity entered his mind. He felt a bit more in control of his thoughts and allowed himself to think of what Yami wished to do. Seeing as the sorcerers in this region were scarce and there were no longer any sorcerers that involved themselves in the Dark Arts – excluding one sorceress that was related to Yami – it would mean they would need to look to Hoshäi, where the Dark Arts were revered and seen as every day life. The problem with this was that those in Hoshäi despised people in this region, likely for their disapproval of the Dark Arts.

_They are most educated when it comes to any type of magic, though. We _need_ one of their people here to help. _A knock sounded on the door and he paused, turning to face the door. It swung open and a petite girl with auburn hair opened the door. He blinked, surprised in spite of himself at her attractive looks. She was clearly a servant, but when it came to Otogi, it was not beneath him to sleep with a servant. He did not attempt any charm, however. Her face was sad and the smile she offered was half-hearted and quite false.

"The prince wished me to ask to bring you something to eat. He felt that you would starve yourself otherwise."

"I see...Yes, well, thank you. Put it on the table." He gestured vaguely to the table and was about to dismiss the girl when he realized she was standing in the middle of the room, a strange expression on her face. He frowned slightly and then asked politely, "Yes? Is there something I can do for you?" She blushed, embarrassed, and dropped her gaze to the floor.

"It's just...I...I was wondering if you planned on going to find Anzu. She was a good friend of mine and my brother, Jounouchi, told me that you are a sorcerer, that you would...that you wanted to do something to retrieve her."

Otogi gazed at her curiously, surprised by her audacity and the knowledge that his sister had a servant as a close friend. It was not entirely surprising, as social class had never meant anything to Anzu and their father had raised her in such an unconventional manner that her views on life were a bit skewed. He eyed the girl again, noting that she was younger than his sister and sweeter. He guessed that she was a comfort to Anzu in a foreign place. "What is your name?" He queried in a kind tone so as not to startle her.

"Shizuka, my prince."

"And you're my sister's friend?"

"Yes...," she murmured, her eyes softening with fondness. "She has helped me in ways that I could never help myself, ways that Jounouchi could not help me." She raised her head and looked at Otogi despairingly. "Please – Jounouchi would not tell me hardly anything that was going on. Can you not tell me? It would ease my mind if I knew that something was being done to help Anzu. I...I'm so worried for her! I love her like I do my brother."

Otogi rubbed the back of his neck. In reality, it was not his place to tell Shizuka anything about what had taken place in the privacy of Prince Yami's chambers. But Otogi had always been rather mischievous and enjoyed breaking rules. He was also quite good at slipping through bad situations and his own lies. If he had to, he would tell Yami that he was not informed not to tell anyone else. And besides, this was Anzu's friend – she had a _right_ to know. "Very well, Shizuka. Sit down and let me eat something before I tell you." Her face lit up. "Not a word to anyone, though," he added, putting a finger to his lips. "I might not be allowed to tell you. To hell with protocol, though." He winked at her, smirking as he dropped his finger. A pleasant blush spread over her cheeks at the wink and she nodded feebly. At least his mood had improved somewhat.


	7. Chapter Seven

DIS: Thank you to everyone for your feedback. It helped immensely. Thanks especially to Sakura Takanouchi and MagykTales for your in depth critique and suggestions, as always. Now, enjoy chapter seven, which is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for a story.

X

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Seven_

Mai sat in front of the silver goblet, trembling. Setting up the ritual had been tiring and she knew that she should not have sacrificed that blood, no matter how little it had been. Everything had gone wrong. Before the summoning spell for her djinn, she had done a spell to make certain that her brother's fiancée was dead. As it was, the woman was quite alive. She had been able to feel her life force in the Forest of Dim. It had been a bit weak, as if she were ill, but that did not change the fact that she was alive. Not only was Anzu alive, but Mai had still not recovered from the complex spell to send the djinn out of its quarters. This both frightened and worried her.

_I did it perfectly, _she assured herself, shivering from a nonexistent cold. She pulled her fluffy robe around her more securely, staring down at the goblet and her reflection. She was not her usual, beautiful self. She had been unable to keep food down since performing the spell so that she was now unhealthily thin and her skin was a sickly gray. She had violet shadows beneath her eyes from the lack of sleep; she had only been able to toss and turn restlessly in bed, barely getting an hour of sleep each night. In the day, she would remain awake, vomiting nothing and having more and more blankets piled up on her even though her skin was feverish. _I should not be affected this way. _

The djinn rose up, his usual blank expression twisted into an expression that she did not recognize. Hesitantly, he said, "I am at your service, princess..." She waved at him dismissively. "You are ill."

"Which is only one of the reasons I have summoned you. My fever only recently broke today. _Today_, djinn! I have not been able to get out of bed since performing that spell and I still cannot keep anything down. I am still cold, yet my skin is hot. What went wrong? I followed each step, used the precise ingredients, and I gave the right amount of blood. What happened? I should have been weak, yes, but it was not expected that I fall _ill_." The djinn said nothing, staring at her with a perplexed expression. "And, along with that, you did not dispose of the girl as I commanded! It was a useless attempt! I am suffering for no reason!"

"Princess...I deposited her in the Forest of Dim as you requested, deep enough so that no one would find her. There were no human inhabitants that I could sense. She should have been attacked by the animals."

"Well, she is _alive_, djinn. Nothing went as I intended. I cannot stand this...That bastard Bakura must have found her. That does not explain why he would keep her alive, though. Surely he knows that she is Yami's fiancée? Why would she remain alive, then? He should _hate _her, want to _kill_ her, just as he did with the others so near my brother." She huddled against herself as she crouched near the goblet, her eyes darting around a bit wildly. "I hate this...No one even cares that I am sick. They're all so focused on Anzu because of Yami. Not even the servants care. All they talk about is, 'Oh, poor Yami, losing his fiancée.'" Angry tears spilled from her eyes, leaking down her cheeks. "I shouldn't be surprised. No one's ever cared for me since Yami was born anyway..."

"...Princess..." The djinn was clearly at a lost of what to do. He hovered uncertainly above the goblet, watching as she shoved her face in her hands, sobbing quietly. Mai rarely, if ever, cried, let alone at the treatment of others towards her. She was accustomed to being ignored by people. She felt so weak and defeated at that moment, though. Even though she was still the most beautiful woman in Kraion, Anzu was alive and could reclaim that title and what did beauty get her in the end? Nothing. Not even her magic got her anything. People feared her magic and the fear fostered resentment.

"It's not fair," she moaned, pushing her hands up into her tangled hair, clutching at it. "I've _worked _for this. I gave my own _blood_ to get to this point and it didn't even fall into place like it was supposed to. Now I'm even more miserable because I will have worked for _nothing_ if they go into the forest and find her." She continued to cry for a moment, frustrated and, admittedly, wounded by how lost and lonely she was. When she fell silent, the djinn knelt, peering down to see her face. She abruptly swung her face up, an exhausted expression on her face. "When I get better, I need to devise a plan to make it so that Anzu cannot ever get into Kraion, to make it so that she cannot leave the Forest of Dim even if she manages to escape the animals _and _Bakura."

"Both?" the djinn asked, alarmed. "Princess, I would reconsider. If that spell took this much out of you – "

"Shut up!" She snapped, getting to her feet weakly. "I don't care what illnesses I have to go through to get what I want. Yami will only feel a _quarter _of the suffering that I have experienced in my life. I want him to feel it, even if it is only that much. He will not get his fiancée back, not if I cannot have my father back, not if I cannot have my rightful place on the throne of Kraion, not if some heathen girl is considered more beautiful than me. You _will_ help me, djinn."

"I live to serve, princess," he murmured after a slight pause, bowing his head. Her hard expression softened and she reached out, running a hand over the angular face of the djinn. To her, it did not matter if he was ugly. He remained faithful to her, the closest thing she had to a friend. And the worry he had expressed on her behalf warmed her heart.

"I know that you will never betray me, my djinn," she murmured, leaning down and resting her cheek on the top of his smooth, bald head. "I trust you far more than anyone else." She pressed her dry, chapped lips to his head briefly. Mai withdrew and saw that there was a sad, reluctant look in his eyes. He did not approve of what she was going to do when she became well again, but would obey her if it made her happy. And, even though she did not look at all lovely, his eyes did not look at her outward appearance, but her soul. As battered and trashed as it was from neglect and her own misdeeds, it was a beautiful soul. It was a pity nobody else could see that. "I shall give you my plans soon."

"Very well." He drifted back into the goblet and she blew out the candles.

X

Seto stared down at the bed, with an utterly detached expression. Behind him, Malik was in the doorway, his shoulder resting against the doorframe as he surveyed him. Bakura was on the other side of the bed, watching Seto's face. Unfortunately, the other sorcerer's face revealed nothing of what he was thinking. Contrary to what he had believed, Seto had not returned to the cottage immediately after finding Anzu's location for Bakura. Bakura had waited for Seto's return in Malik's bedroom, irritated. They had done what they could for the infection of Anzu's foot, but their arts focused on making such things _worse_, not better. Whatever bits and pieces they had needed to know had been forgotten in the time they had been in the Forest of Dim.

As soon as Seto arrived, he came to the bedroom as if suspecting something of being wrong. He had strange plants in his hands, which he later explained were for her cuts that he had expected Anzu to have. After taking care of her wounds from the mountain lion's attack, he had stood and looked at Anzu lying prone on the bed. That had been a bit over five minutes ago and he was still in the same position.

Bakura did not really care if the girl died or not; her life meant very little to him. However, she was rather integral to his current plan to torture Yami and if she died, he could hardly use her and he simply did not agree with that. He disliked surprises. He could always use her body as a puppet after she died. His knowledge of the Dark Arts allowed that. He was not sure it would be as convincing and he wanted to see her cry for her idiot fiancée. Dead people could not cry.

"I weary of watching you just stare at her," Malik broke the quiet in a bored tone. "Are you going to just watch her die or are you actually going to do something, Seto? She's sounding and _looking _worse than when Bakura brought her in."

That, in fact, was quite true. Anzu had been a bit restless and her hands had been twitching when Bakura brought her in, but she was now in a much worse state. There was a clear sheen of sweat on her face and her skin, a healthy peach colour, had turned a ghastly shade of gray. While she had been breathing regularly earlier, she was now breathing in wheezing breaths. Even Bakura could see that the infection was spreading fast.

"I would suggest, then, that you both leave the room," Seto told them.

"What for?" Bakura demanded.

"Have you seen her foot?" Seto questioned, pointing to Anzu's foot. "Her skin on and around the infection has turned black. I will have to cut that off, extract the pus that's forming beneath the layer and suck out the poison of the infection." Seto's face indicated that he was not looking forward to that part of the operation. "In fact, _Bakura_, if I didn't think you would mess it up somehow, I would have you do it. I'm sure you could stomach it, after all." Bakura snorted in response.

"Whatever, just get to it before she dies." Bakura walked around the bed and then paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You can cut off her foot instead, if you like. I wouldn't mind that. She would be less likely to go run off again." Seto stared at him coldly.

"No. Regardless of what you may think, Bakura, I am not as sadistic as you or Malik. I would rather try to cure her than amputate her." Bakura shrugged at this and then left the room, passing Malik. Seto frowned as Malik stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "I told you to leave."

"I'm interested to see how this works. I won't be in the way, I just want to watch." Seto eyed him and then turned away, shrugging off his robes and then pushing his sleeves up to begin his work. Malik moved to the place Bakura had been a moment ago, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting back to watch.

_Anzu sat up as sunlight danced across her eyes, blinking against the bright light. When she was regaining her eyesight, a hand touched her face and she jerked away from it, startled. A low, amused chuckle sounded from her side and she turned to see Yami bending over, one hand braced on the bed. For a moment, she was disoriented, confused as to what was going on. "Yami...? What's happened?" She darted a quick look around her, seeing that she was in her own chambers, that everything was as it should be. Had she dreamed of Bakura, of Malik and Seto? Had it all been a terrible nightmare? "I was...fighting a mountain lion."_

"_Were you?" Yami asked interestedly, settling on the bed beside her. "Where did you get such a bizarre and violent dream, Anzu?" She hesitated. _

"_I think _this_ is a dream, Yami. Dreams can't be as real as that one was. I dreamt that Bakura was in the Forest of Dim and he wanted to use me against you and – " His frown made her stop. Still unsure of whether she was dreaming or not, she knew that expression of his meant that the topic they were discussing was too personal for his liking. After a pause, she said softly, "I couldn't get to you, Yami, and I missed you so much." His face softened and this time when he touched her face, she did not move back, but raised a hand to hold onto his, feeling tears pour down her cheeks. "I was so frightened that I would never get back to you. I don't even know if I really am here or if it's all in my head."_

"_Don't cry," he murmured, shifting so that he could pull her up to him. She circled her arms around his waist and cried, hiding her face against his neck. She could not remember ever taking comfort in Yami's arms, let alone crying in front of him. His hands moved over her back, stroking it comfortingly. "It was all a dream, Anzu. Just a dream. You're here with me now." He pulled her from him, holding her afar so that she met his gaze. "Alright? Nothing can keep you from me, you know that. I promise you." Anzu managed a watery smile, sniffling. He wiped her tears and cupped her face._

"_Alright," she whispered brokenly. "But...Yami? How come Shizuka didn't wake me up?"_

_He sighed, releasing her, and said, "I had a dream about you. It was very odd. I wanted to make sure you were here, that you were okay. And you are...Just as I thought. It's so strange, because I dreamt of Bakura, too. He broke into your room and stole you from me. He wasn't in the Forest of Dim, though, but he lived in Hoshäi. Is that not remarkable?" Yami smiled at her, seeing her worried expression. "Don't look so troubled, Anzu. We both had dreams. It's mere coincidence."_

"_But what if it isn't? What if it's not just a dream? What if _this _is the dream, Yami?"_

"_Nonsense. This is real. I know." _

_Hysteria was building in Anzu's chest and she lurched forward, grabbing his shoulders. She could see that she had startled him by the slight widening of his eyes. "But what if it _isn't_?! I feel like I'm losing my mind, Yami! If I can't tell a dream from reality, if that line is blurred, how am I to know when I'm living my own life or a dream life? I'll...I'll be living two lives and – "_

"_Anzu," he murmured, gently removing her hands from his shoulders, interrupting her before she became hysterical. "I assure you that we are living in the real world." He took her hands and kissed them. She could feel the softness of his lips, the brush of a kiss on her cool hands. "I am proof enough. You can feel me, can't you, just as I can feel you?" She nodded and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers briefly. She closed her eyes, sighing in relief. "You had a nightmare, albeit a terrible one." _

"_And if the nightmare was real?"_

"_I would hope nothing like that would happen to you," he said seriously, drawing back a bit. She felt a sudden need to connect with him, to know that this was her fiancé that she was gazing at and he was made of flesh and not mist that her mind had created. She blinked blearily, feeling tears in her eyes again. "Anzu, hush...There is no need to cry." She felt his breath pass over her lips and shivered, leaning into him, feeling his lips touch hers. She collapsed against him, thankful for his arms that gathered her, pulling her against his chest. But as he did, she felt a terrible pain in her foot and pulled away, screaming. And when she opened her eyes, it was dark, full of black nothingness. She knew then that the nightmare was real, that the nightmare was what her life had become in the matter of only a few days._

Anzu was sobbing, moaning in agony. She did not dare open her eyes. If she saw Yami sitting beside her she truly would know that she was going mad. There was a hand on her leg, an unfamiliar hand. She only then realized that her leg had been thrashing, trying to throw off the pain in her foot. Only then did she open her eyes, blinking back the tears. It was not Yami whose hand was on her leg, nor Bakura's. There were no kind eyes, no mocking eyes, but a calm, azure gaze that settled on her face as she stared back at the sorcerer; it was Seto who was kneeling next to the bed. "Your foot is not completely bandaged," he told her. She stilled, trembling a bit, as he wrapped bandages over her foot. She noticed they were coated with some kind of plant, no doubt to help the infection.

She flinched as a cool, smooth hand settled on her forehead. "Her fever is almost completely gone," she heard Malik's dulcet tones above her. "Commendable, Seto. Nice to see that you fixed Bakura's tool." Seto snorted in response. Anzu raised her eyes to Malik's face as he withdrew his hand. He bent over her, his blonde hair hanging over his shoulders. His face looked so handsome and trustworthy. She wished he had never told her that he was even eviler than Bakura. She would have preferred to be oblivious and continue liking him; however, she could not say that she hated him. He was impossible to hate, it seemed. "How are you feeling?" He murmured, bracing a hand against the wall. "You seemed like you were having a nightmare when you were unconscious. Gave Seto a lot of trouble."

_No, _this _is the nightmare! _She howled in her mind. "My foot hurts," she whimpered feebly.

"Blame yourself," Seto grunted from the end of the bed. "You were the one who decided to run off in filthy moccasins. Not to mention you had already ruined your bandages by running around outside without any shoes on and then decided to trek in the forest and sweat some more dirt into the wound. Consider how much dirt you caked onto your wound. It's no wonder it was as infected as it was." She stared at him, wounded by his blunt words. If he noticed her stare, he gave no indication of it.

"He isn't wrong," Malik told her. "You should have known better, even if you did want to get away from three murdering sorcerers." Seto shot him a mutinous stare. "_Two _murdering sorcerers, sorry," he corrected with a roll of his eyes. "I have no reason to kill you, Anzu. Maybe steal your virginity, but not kill. Bakura wants you alive, but that's it. All you need is a heartbeat for him. He'll maim you if he feels like it. Seto doesn't give a shit either way. Compared to those animals out there, who take one look at you and think, 'Food,' you're much safer here. Remember that the next time you feel like running off to Kraion." Anzu wanted to cry but her entire body was so sore that she could not summon the energy to rouse any tears. Why did he have to be so brutally honest? She didn't want to know any of that.

"Stop scaring her, Malik. I'm not in the mood to deal with a sniveling princess."

Malik shrugged, smiling pleasantly and then leaned down, pressing his lips to Anzu's forehead. She blinked at the affectionate gesture. "Try not to piss Seto off, eh?" He withdrew from the bed and rounded it to approach the door. "And try not to be _too _much of a dick, Seto," he added as an afterthought before leaving the room, the door shutting quietly behind him.

The room had become silent after Malik's departure. Anzu did not dare look to the end of the bed to see the sorcerer's careful ministrations, staring up at the ceiling fixedly. With such an intimidating expression, Anzu did not like to think of him capable of being kind. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she slowly drew her eyes down to stare at Seto's bowed head. If he felt her gaze, he did not say so. Biting her lip, she watched as he continued to wrap her foot, keeping her foot in position with a hand on her ankle, his long fingers curling around.

"H-how bad was it?" She asked timidly.

"The entire bottom of your foot was black and the infection had been spreading throughout your body. You're lucky Bakura got to you when he did or else you would have died," he replied steadily. He raised his head, his dark eyes meeting hers through the fringe of brown hair that flopped onto his forehead. "Be grateful that I was here or else you _would _be dead. Bakura and Malik have near to no magical abilities outside the Dark Arts. The magic that Bakura _does_ know outside his Dark Arts is hardly helpful in a situation such as this. He wanted to amputate your foot. Malik _knows_ of more powerful healing magic than I do, but does not know how to perform it. He has tried using it on himself, but his magic is far too corrupted for the spells to get right. The only healing he can use is basic healing potions, which goes for the same as Bakura. However, I only experimented in the Dark Arts and was not given the chance to get as involved as Bakura, let alone Malik. I know more when it comes to magic outside the Dark Arts."

"...Thank you," she said in a low voice after the initial shock of having almost lost her foot subsided. He ignored her thanks, turning back to her foot to tie the bandage just tight enough to keep it from coming undone. "I _am _grateful." Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips and she continued, "I had not known it could get that bad." Seto rose to his feet and collected the extra bandages, tucking them in the pockets of his robes. He stared out the window for a moment, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"I have a proposition for you, princess," he said musingly, turning to face her. Anzu cast him a startled look. "I assure you that it is nothing heinous or of an intimate matter." She wondered how he could keep a straight face when saying that last part. She blushed at the mere idea of doing anything intimate with him of all people. "I may be willing to help you return to Kraion if you are, in fact, Yami's fiancée."

Surprised, Anzu asked him, "Are you a friend of his?"

His face twisted into a sour expression, one that clearly indicated he was never and _would _never be such a thing. She regretted asking. "_No_. I detest Yami only a bit less than Bakura. This has nothing to do whether I am friends with the prince or not, but my own safety. Yami has certain..._ways_ with people that I cannot claim any of us except for Malik have. While Malik charms people and works his way into their head, playing on what he believes they want or need, Yami uses his so-called noble, courageous character to get him what he wants. He's an overprotective idiot that, if something – or someone – was stolen from him, he would do anything to get it back, especially if he knew where that thing was. If Yami were to know that you were in the Forest of Dim, he could do any number of things to get you back, all of which involve disturbing my peaceful living."

"Such as...?"

"If I know Yami – and I do, from stories and personal experience – the first action he is sure to take after he realizes where you are is to gather sorcerers. Kraion has near to none, let alone the kingdoms around it, so he will turn to the kingdom that _breeds_ sorcerers and sorceresses – Hoshäi. He could get a few from there, as reluctant as they may be, and if they find our stronghold here, it could complicate things for me. Bakura could not win against them and as much as I loathe to admit it, I most _certainly _would not. Malik would be able to, but he can't fight them and protect us at the same time. It's not possible."

"So this is all just a selfish reason for you to save yourself!" Anzu said, sickened.

"Not entirely selfish," he answered carelessly. "I told you that Bakura would die, too. Mind you, as soon as Bakura falls, Malik will run. I have no illusions of friendship with either of those two. Their ties to each other are stronger than I have to either of them. I am _allies_ with them, not friends. Do not mistake that, princess." He paused for a moment and then continued, "Both Malik and Bakura know of my selfish manner. Malik doesn't care what I do, but Bakura does, which is why I expect he has not been eager to leave me alone with you for very long. I am willing to return you wherever you wish in order to keep things quiet here."

"And you want nothing of me?" She questioned, simply to clarify things.

"Nothing," he agreed. "But I am curious of two things."

"Alright...Ask, then."

"Since you have not disagreed with me, am I to assume that Yami _is_ your fiancé?"

"Yes," she answered softly.

"Then...Does he love you and you, him?" Her head shot up in surprise. His expression and demeanor remained unchanged, as if he had asked nothing more than what kingdom she was from. "It is a reasonable question," he said to her expression. "If Yami loves you, he may have already taken that step I mentioned to contact Hoshäi. It is one thing when you are a childhood friend or an ex-fiancée and an entirely different thing when he is in love with you and wants to marry you. It is even more complicating if _you_ love him and he knows it." Seto's voice never changed, confident in his logic. She admired him for that. He never lost his calm, no matter what the topic of conversation, no matter what the circumstances.

Averting her gaze, feeling her cheeks warm, she murmured, "He doesn't know that I love him, but I do." Remembering her dream, she wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes against the stinging of tears behind her eyes. "I miss him."

"I can imagine that," was his mild answer. She opened her eyes to look at him. "Everyone does bad things for a reason, princess, and I am no different, nor are Malik or Bakura." There was something on Seto's face that made him seem human. She identified it as grief, but the reasons were hidden from her as he turned his head so that she could only see his profile. She did not remove her gaze, though, suddenly realizing that the stoic nature Seto held was all to dull his painful emotions. She wished she could help him, but a part of Seto's sentence came to her, causing her to blink in disbelief.

"But Bakura is..._horrid_."

"He has his reasons – or so I am told by Malik." Seto moved towards the door and tilted his head back to look at her. "Once your foot has time to heal, I'll take you to Kraion. This is to be between you and me only." She nodded, assuring him that she understood. Satisfied, he turned back to the door and left her in the room by herself, alone, save for her thoughts.

Seto could hear Bakura and Malik talking quietly downstairs as soon as he stepped out of the bedroom. He was not surprised that it was Malik's voice that seemed to hold a soothing quality to it, as if he was trying to calm a temper. He did not immediately attend to the two dark sorcerers, standing in the corridor with a pensive expression on his face. He could tell that Anzu was convinced that she was in love with Yami, but it was more of a longing for familiarity. He knew love well enough to know that she would be far more distressed than she was over the prince of Kraion than she seemed to be.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he took a few steps and leaned against the wall, tapping his fingers on his arms, dismissing Anzu's romance issues and his own failed romance from mind. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his private saying of, "Leave the past behind and keep moving forward." He had yet to ignore it. The real problem at hand was the proposal he had presented to her and her agreement. He knew accurate ways of blocking Malik and Bakura's Dark Magic, of misleading it, but he hoped that he did not need to use any such spells. He was more inclined to sneak Anzu out of the place without Malik or Bakura knowing. More so the latter than the former.

_Hmm, _he mused to himself, hearing Bakura's voice raise to a dangerous tone, _I ought to go down there and see what the hell he's having a tantrum about before it gets out of control. _He frowned, loathing to abandon his current thoughts. He needed to figure something out before the day was done and most especially before Anzu's foot had healed. _One problem at a time, _he thought with a small sigh, _and currently, Bakura is the most pressing problem at the moment. _Pushing away from the wall, he unfolded his arms and descended the steps, hearing the end of Malik's sentence.

"...which will just aggravate her and you know it."

"Aggravate her," Bakura muttered viciously. "As if I give a damn if I aggravate her. She's aggravated me enough! If she didn't bring me one step closer to claiming Kraion for myself, I wouldn't even keep the bothersome woman alive!" Malik heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes towards Seto, who was standing near the stairs, a crease of irritation between his brows. "Ugh, of all the princesses to wander in the Forest of Dim, it had to be _that _one. I wouldn't care if she was more compliant and broken like Yami's sister."

"You consider her compliant?" Seto asked with a tilt of an eyebrow. Malik appeared similarly skeptical. "You must be mad. That woman is probably more stubborn than the one we have on our hands right now and far more dangerous. While she does not know physical combat like Anzu does, she does have magical abilities, even if you are under the misconception that she does not." Bakura had an unhappy frown on his lips, taking notice, as Seto did, that Malik seemed to disagree with Bakura on the matter of the princess of Kraion, as well.

"She knows how to perform the Dark Arts after you allowed her to watch you," Malik told Bakura, pointing a finger at him meaningfully. "Mai is blonde, Bakura, but not without intelligence. I'm inclined to believe that she is quite clever in things that she puts her mind to. Ruining people's lives seems to be on the top of her agenda lately, especially ruining _our _lives."

"I would bet that it's more Bakura's life that she's trying to make miserable," Seto commented. Malik shrugged and turned his gaze to Bakura, who was tensed, knowing that he had been cornered in his own home.

Grumbling, Bakura turned from them, pacing towards the counter, hating that they may be right. He had never told Malik – and especially not Seto – that he had snubbed Mai when she had so eagerly offered to help him in his magic. He had taught her all the magic outside of the Dark Arts that he knew and she did well at it. The taste of the dark magic had startled her, yet also encouraged her to explore them. He had seen the greedy look in her eyes, the way she eyed him, knowing that he could help her gain the dark power he possessed. It was that reason he had rejected her. He had never thought she would pursue the Arts on her own, though...

Bakura turned back to his two companions, leaning against the counter and surveying them. Malik was trustworthy, but would not go out of the way to help Bakura gain what he wanted. Seto had no loyalty to either of them as they did to each other. If he was loyal to anyone in this damn forest, it would be Anzu simply because she was a woman. While Seto thought he kept himself so easily locked away inside himself, Bakura had been able to gleam that Seto had abandoned the Dark Arts because of a woman – although he was not entirely sure why yet – and his weakness was young children. This was from a piece of information Seto let slip when they first met, mentioning that he had once had a little brother. Bakura had seen the anguish in Seto's eyes before it vanished and would bet anything that if he saw a child being hurt, he would risk his own neck for them.

_It's a pity I have yet to find Malik's weakness, _Bakura thought.

"I suppose it is possible Anzu's being here is all a part of some scheme that Mai devised," he grudgingly confessed after a beat. Malik blinked, a bit surprised by the honesty. "That is only, of course, if she pursued the Dark Arts without my instruction. I'm not confident that she has the skill for that – she was hardly able to perform rudimentary magic when she first came to me – but I suppose I cannot rule it out in the light of things."

"Did you sleep with her?" Seto asked in his usual blunt manner.

"Apparently I wasn't her type," Bakura said in mock hurt.

"That's hardly relevant, Seto," Malik grumbled in an exasperated tone.

"I disagree. Bakura seems the type to break women's hearts," Seto informed him.

Shaking his head, Malik turned back to Bakura and said with an unusually sober expression, "What I am more interested in is why Anzu would have been targeted by Mai. I hardly doubt that Anzu would make an enemy out of a sorceress. She does not seem stupid enough."

"Mai hates Yami more than I do," Bakura remarked with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's personal for her. Once Yami was born, Mai was ignored by both of her parents. Her mother was supposed to teach her magic and did a bit, but that was while Yami was still unborn. A few years later the queen died, so not only was Mai the only sorceress in the family, but one that didn't know magic and had virtually no friends and her family appeared to not care about her. She has every right to hate Yami, if you ask me. No doubt her hostility made him hate her."

"Huh. He must have hated her before he became a noble ass or he would have tried to make peace with her."

"Agreed. The point here is that Yami stripped her of everything that made her happy: the possibility of being queen in the future, and her parents and kingdom's affection. _If _Mai is the reason Anzu ended up in the Forest of Dim, then we can accurately suppose that she is doing it to hurt Yami and it has virtually nothing to do with Anzu herself. Once Yami is married, Anzu would have taken the place that Mai considered hers: queen of Kraion."

There was a pause in which each of them absorbed this information. Seto looked fairly revolted with Mai's actions and Malik seemed to find them just as unattractive. Bakura, however, would not be the least bit surprised if his theory was true. Anything that gained her power was something that Mai wanted. She had nothing but her beauty and her magic to make her happy. He had seen that, beyond power, she thought that the power magic gave her would make her happy. He wondered if she ever figured out the lie in that assumption of hers.

"A very plausible conclusion," Seto finally said. "So the question we really need to ask is _how_ she got Anzu here."

"That is an excellent question," Bakura agreed. "I think – "

"But first I am interested to know what you wanted to do that Malik said would aggravate Anzu," Seto interrupted. Malik glanced at Seto, saying nothing as Bakura had half-expected. "You want to use her so much – that's fine. I'm not going to let my time and energy be wasted, though. If you want to aggravate her, do it after her foot heals or else she's bound to do something stupid. The girl is positively headstrong."

"Threatening her a bit will frighten her, not aggravate her," Bakura said with a sarcastic scowl.

"And we saw how well that went earlier, didn't we? Anything we have to say to her has a negative effect, if you haven't noticed. She doesn't hold sorcerers in high esteem."

"Likely because all of the people in Kraion are superstitious idiots when it comes to magic. You say a foreign word and they'll put you on trial faster than you can translate it. I'm sure it doesn't help with Yami whispering all kinds of darks things about how I escaped here and blah, blah, blah... Of course she doesn't hold sorcerers in high esteem, you prat." Bakura shot Seto an irritated look, as if he were talking to the biggest dolt in history. "Do try and say something intelligent if you are going to engage in a conversation. It's no wonder you rarely ever talk. I wouldn't want to if I were you, either."

"I could say the same for you," was Seto's cool response, undaunted by the insults. Bakura's lip curled derisively as Seto whirled around and left the cottage, shutting the door behind him quite firmly.

"I'm surprised you didn't start throwing accusations at him, Bakura," Malik mildly told his friend. Bakura turned to him, raising an eyebrow in question. "A clueless expression does not suit you." He smirked as Bakura glowered warningly.

"I wouldn't even have to consider accusing him of things if you had stayed in the room with them. It's as if you are encouraging him to conspire with her and I know that if he hasn't done it yet he will soon." Bakura smiled to himself, a slow lift of his mouth. "He can conspire all he wants, anyway. I don't care. His methods of getting trust are rather boring compared to mine. I can have an unlimited amount of patience so long as the twit doesn't think to run off again." Malik chuckled.

"Yes, maidens running off do tend to be rather troublesome." He paused, his smile fading. "But honestly. I can't read him as well you. Do you think he was up to anything unusual?"

"Not today," Bakura murmured, "but you can never be sure with him. If he'd show some emotion more than once in a blue moon, it might be easier." He sighed, reaching back to rub his neck. The little princess fiancée of Yami's was proving to be more trouble than she was worth. All she had done so far was make snide comments to him, run off and get her wound infected and cause general upheaval in his relatively calm household. He was not all that inclined to seducing her, seeing as how it had been some time since Bakura had made so much as an ounce of an effort at getting between a woman's legs. He never found the experience satisfying in the end. "I don't suppose you would seduce her for me?" He grumbled.

"Oh, she already likes me quite a bit," Malik stated with a smirk, "but you keep putting her off balance and making her suspicious. Come on and have some fun, Bakura, or else you'll turn into a killjoy like Seto." Bakura snorted, dropping his hand from his neck.

"Not even I could become that bad." He looked thoughtful, withdrawing from the counter and placing a hand on his waist. A wicked grin lit his features and had Malik's eyebrows rising. "Do you know how much it would piss Yami off to know that I have his sweet, virginal fiancée wrapped around my finger? Oh, the joy I will take in brainwashing her!"

"I thought you didn't want to seduce her?" Malik asked, amused.

"I have ways of making a woman get under my power without it having to be sexual. I'm not interested in sex at the moment." He waved his hand, as though dismissing him. "Besides, how else am I to get her to trust me enough to ruin Yami? I could simply torture her in front of him. This seems more effective. Yami would hate to see his woman fall under my charm."

"You're terrible," he laughed.

"I just need to keep Seto out of the way. He's almost as bad as Yami when it comes to using innocent women for misdeeds."

"It's not as though she's leaving the experience empty-handed," Malik said. "And if she is disappointed, I could always show her what fun truly is when with the right guy seeing as how you are 'not interested in sex at the moment.'" Bakura chortled, not at all offended at the implications that he might disappoint the princess. He could care less whether Anzu came out of the experience pleased or not, so long as when they met Yami again, she was under his spell – figuratively speaking – and Yami could suffer. It would make the prince's downfall all the more delicious.

X

Yami sighed, stifling the desire to rub his face, instead rubbing his hands together as he stood outside the entrance doors to his father's chambers. Yami's father, Naten, was still king and Yami was still prince, even if the latter did most of the work in the kingdom. Although Yami did not know himself, as he had still been quite young, it was rumored that the king lost a good part of his soul when his wife died. Yami did notice that as soon as he had voluntarily assumed extra responsibilities, his father had become lax in his own as king. King Naten had, in fact, become rather like a sloth, as if nothing but his own happiness matter. It was this fact that made Yami nervous to speak with his father.

The doors opened a moment later and he nodded to the servant that opened the doors. As he entered, he noticed that his father did not seem to be lounging about as usual, but standing at his desk in his study that adjoined his bedchambers, his face seeming slack with wrinkles and making him appear older than he truly was. He did not raise his eyes to meet Yami's gaze, gesturing wearily to a plush chair across from the desk. "I am troubled, my son," he murmured. Yami blinked. "I feel as though I'm living in the fog half the time. Do you feel that way?"

"No...But I do feel that you have been unlike yourself of late," Yami carefully responded, his brow furrowing. This was a very unexpected turn of events, one that he was not entirely pleased with. His first assumption was that Mai had been possessing their father with a spell. He knew, however, how much she adored their father, even if Naten had never showed such amiability for his daughter. And he did not think Mai could keep the spell operating for such a long time. She might be a good sorceress, but he doubted she was that good. "And now, father? Do you feel in a fog?"

"Not at the moment," Naten sighed. "It is worrisome. Far too many strange things have been happening in Kraion. I cannot be a king if I do not act like one. And I cannot act like one if I cannot remember my days because I'm walking in a fog in my mind. I would like to blame a sorcerer, but there are none near. I would not like to think that my own daughter is doing this to me..."

"I don't think she is, father," he assured, confident of that at least. Mai did not look to be in the shape to do much of any magic as of late. "Mai loves you too much to cause such harm. She loves Kraion too much to cause it harm." Sadly, Yami knew this to be true. There was flashes of genuine personality when he saw her alone, when she thought no one was watching, and he could tell by the fond way she gazed at their father that she loved him like no one else, that the way she listened to people speak of Kraion and how she watched the people interact from afar, that she would sacrifice a great deal for her kingdom. If she didn't hide behind her cruel mask all the time, Yami might be able to say that he would like her. As it was, she hated him and since he could remember, he had hated her for all the tortures she inflicted upon him.

"Enough of my troubles for now, Yami. While I have a moment of clarity, please tell me why you've come so I might be able to help." His eyes were sad when he said this, as if he were mentally unstable and would drift off into a fantasy world at any moment.

"I need permission to contact Hoshäi. I believe I may know where Anzu is and one sorcerer has already offered his help. I know that, with Bakura in the Forest of Dim, he will need more help than just his own magic." Naten's mouth turned down into a frown, a good indication that he would need more persuading to allow what he no doubt thought was a ludicrous suggestion. "I understand that those in Hoshäi hate us," Yami continued a bit more quickly than a moment ago, "but I have to try and get help. If I have to, I will go in with the sorcerer if no others will assist me. With my warrior skills and his magic, we should be able to get through the Forest of Dim without any trouble."

"Yami..." Naten's voice was quiet and full of doubt. "Please, do not cause more harm to yourself. There is no possible way that Anzu could have survived if she is in the Forest of Dim."

"I won't abandon her unless I know for certain that she is dead," Yami said sternly, his eyes flashing determinedly. His chest was swelling, filling with desperation. He would go against his father's wishes if Naten rejected his proposal. Otogi would throw himself into the forest if he knew that there was a snag in their plans and Yami could not afford to lose his fiancée's brother, too. That would hardly reflect well on Kraion if both heirs to the Siruean throne died shortly after being in his territory. "Father, I have to do this. _For her_."

Naten sighed, settling in his chair behind his desk and shaking his head. Yami had never seen his father look so fatigued and so aged. It was as though he was were looking at his grandfather instead. "You love her this much, Yami? She is the only woman you've ever known, you do realize that, I hope? There are other women...Is she worth it?"

"She is more than worth it. Please just let me do this."

Naten gazed up at Yami and then nodded, a small smile on his lips. "I can see that your heart will not be swayed, so I shall allow it. Whatever resources of Kraion's that you need to find her, you may use. I would have done it for your mother..." He trailed off, his face tensing painfully and then he gestured towards a cabinet on the other side of the room. "Inside there is a black, marble ball covered in a velvet cloth. Take it out and behind it there will be a dais. It is...made up of dark magic, but it is the only way that Hoshäi will communicate with anyone." Yami eyed him, suddenly concerned with the object that his father had described. He certainly did not want to use some dark artifact that had come from Hoshäi. "I have used it before, Yami, you needn't worry," his father said as he hesitated a bit longer.

Yami approached the cabinet and opened it, finding the velvet covered ball immediately. He withdrew it, surprised at the light weight of it, and then reached behind in the darkness of the cabinet to find the dais. Once he had grasped it, he shut the cabinet with his wrist and then returned to the desk. Naten settled the dais and held out his hand for the ball. Yami unwrapped it and eyed the seemingly harmless object before giving it to his father to place on the dais. "They call it the Orb of the Heavens," Naten explained, tracing a pattern on the marble ball with his fingertips, "and is so light because the middle has been hollowed out. That is where the dark magic lies, allowing it to operate. I do not consider it any part of the Heavens, not if it the Dark Arts are involved." The orb began to glow, colours swirling from the middle and moving outward in a spiral motion. Naten gestured for Yami to take his spot, rising out of his seat.

Yami felt his hands shaky nervously, but hastily calmed himself. _I have to remain steady, to convince these people that they would do good to send sorcerers to help us. If I act like a bumbling school boy just out of his governess's hands, then they will only laugh at me over dinner later. _

"Speak the name of your location," a purring, female voice commanded from the orb, though he could see no face.

"Kraion," Yami responded after a brief pause to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

The orb cleared to show a tan, female face. He blinked, meeting the dark, azure eyes that stared calmly out at him. He had been expecting to be transferred to a man instead of seeing the owner of the voice. Her face was slender, as most people's faces in Hoshäi were, and her hair was straight and ebony, swept behind her shoulders. There was no emotion on her face, making it ever more unnerving for him to face her through a marble ball. "Why have you called on Hoshäi and what is your position in royalty?"

"I am Prince Yami," he said, hesitating, "and I have called to ask for assistance." She did not say anything in the silence that followed his declaration, patiently waiting for him to further explain himself. "My fiancée has been...taken to the Forest of Dim. The animals there have gone wild and there are three sorcerers in the forest, including the exiled sorcerer, Bakura." He could feel Naten's puzzled gaze on the back of his head, likely wondering why Yami had not told him this a few minutes ago. Yami felt guilty, for he was about to tell the woman another thing he had omitted from his father. "She is in danger and her brother is a sorcerer and insists on doing in the Forest of Dim. He believes he can protect himself. I am sure he can, but if she is with the sorcerers, he may not be able to protect them both and drive them off at the same time."

"Indeed, that sounds to be a dilemma," the woman told him agreeably. "Do you know the other two sorcerers that are in the Forest of Dim?" There was a slight lilt to her voice, as if she was expecting a particular name.

"No...I do not. The sorcerer I spoke of – Otogi – implied that there is a fourth magic, as well, that being held by nature. Is such a thing...possible?"

"It is more than possible, my prince," she told him in her liquid voice. "We sorcerers and sorceresses received our magic from the earth before we received it from the blood of our ancestors. It is why we must use the earth for our potions. There are many creatures and things in this world that have magic other than humans. The raw magic they harness is as violent as the dark magic we in Hoshäi use. You were right to call us for help. If this magic is active in the Forest of Dim, your sorcerer could be in danger if he does not know how to defend himself against it. I assume he does not if he has not experimented in the Dark Arts."

"There are defenses in the Dark Arts, too?"

"Naturally," was her calm reply. "It is not all bad. It is how you use it that matters." She paused, considering over something in her mind. "I cannot assure you that many will come. I can promise, however, that you will see me at your castle gates by sundown tomorrow. I need time to prepare and to observe this forest and the magic within it. I shall be able to do a better job at it than your sorcerer."

Relieved, Yami murmured, "Thank you..."

"Do not thank me until it is warranted, prince," she told him cryptically.

Taken aback, Yami's brows knitted together in slight offense, but he said, "If you insist."

"I must now leave. You shall see me tomorrow."

"Ah – might I have a name? My people will not take lightly to someone unknown showing up in Kraion."

"Yes, of course," she agreed faintly. "My name is Isis Ishtar." With her name delivered, her face disappeared, the colours turning inward. Even after the ball had turned black again, looking as nondescript as it had before, Yami sat staring at it. He had succeeded in getting one of the hostile Hoshäi people on his side. He almost leapt up in joy. Surely these people would be able to help them. He knew that more planning would be required when they woman arrived tomorrow. He could not simply chuck them into the Forest of Dim and expect them to come out the next day with Anzu in hand.

"I apologize for not giving you all the information," Yami said to his father at last, moving out of his seat and returning to the front of the desk. Naten collected the ball into the velvet cover.

"I'm not offended," Naten assured him, handing him the dais and the ball. Yami returned them to the cabinet while his father poured them each a glass of brandy. "I _am_, however, impressed that you managed to get one of such a culture to agree to help us. It did not seem that it was so much our circumstances that interested her as the combination of magical forces in the Forest of Dim, though, would you not agree?" Yami nodded as he sat down in a seat across from the desk, taking the glass of brandy and drinking generously from it. "Well, it does not matter, so long as she is coming to help you. I pray for you, Yami, that you do not get your hopes up. You must keep in mind that Anzu may not be in there anymore, that she may be..." He chose not to finish his sentence, dropping his gaze to his hands, unable to say the word 'dead,' fearing that it would be too much for his son.

"I know, father," Yami softly said. "I do know..."

X

Anzu had slept most of the day to allow her foot to heal, but at night her stomach was growling and she was restless. She carefully sat up and spots appeared before her eyes. She put a hand to her head, feeling a horrible pain shoot through the back of her head. After the pain and dizziness passed, she stood and made certain to put very little pressure on her wounded foot as she went to the wash basin. She poured water from the jug and scrubbed her face with a cloth and then washed her hair. That was all she would be able to do for the time being. After shoving her wet hair in a messy bundle atop her head, she clumsily changed into one of the outfits in the closet. The white shirt hung over her hangs, but rolling them up to her elbows fixed that problem and pants were tight around the hips and long, but otherwise fit fine.

Opening the door, she moved to the stairs and sat down on them so that she could slide down the stairs rather than limp down them and hurt her foot. There were voices in the kitchen that she recognized as Seto and Malik's. She continued her way down the stairs, trying to ignore the voices; however, she heard their conversation without really wanting to know what they were discussing.

"...could be dangerous," Malik was saying.

"Of course it's dangerous, you idiot," Seto snapped irritably. Anzu frowned, wondering if he was talking about their plan to him. But surely not, since he had said it was just between them? She came to the last few steps and got to her feet, limping into the kitchen. Bakura was sitting at the table and Malik and Seto were on opposite sides of the counter with food between them. Anzu looked curiously at the dead rabbit on the other counter and then back at them.

"What's dangerous?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"His cooking," Malik said, nodding to Seto. "Bakura wants him to cook, but I've tasted his food. Let's just say that it leaves a lot to be desired." His eyes flicked up her small frame and his eyes narrowed. "Are...Are you wearing my clothing?" Bakura turned and smirked at her appearance. Feeling a bit self-conscious, she crossed her arms over her breasts and shifted as Seto also looked to her.

"There wasn't anything else to wear and I wasn't going to stay in my filthy clothing," Anzu defensively told him. Seto sighed as all Malik did was stare at her, as if he had never seen a girl in men's clothing before. He opened his mouth once and then closed it, clearly unsure of what to say when a woman was wearing one of his outfits.

"Sit down," Seto ordered, pointing to the table where Bakura currently was sitting.

"I can cook," Anzu instantly said, throwing an anxious look to the sorcerer that was staring at her from the table, encouraging her to challenge his authority. A flash of temper erupted in her when she realized he honestly was looking to fight her. Her face reddened with anger and might have stomped over there if Seto had intercepted, taking her arm and guiding her to the table much more gently than she would have found herself. He sent her a warning look before joining Malik at the counter, where the Hoshäi native ordered Seto to peel the potatoes while he skinned the animal.

"You certainly don't look like a princess," Bakura remarked, a mocking smile on his lips. "How does it feel to be taken down a few steps?"

"I've looked worse," she retorted.

_Oh, this is going to be fun, _Bakura thought, amused. Like the little hothead she was, she instantly took the bait he had set out for her and involved herself in an argument that she was not going to win. He could manipulate a conversation better than the average person. He doubted she would be able to keep up with him. "You truly are one of the more idiotic women I've met. It would have been better if we cut off your hands and feet." He raised his own hands, palm facing outward. "Imagine it. You couldn't hurt any of us and couldn't run away. All you could do is maybe spit on me and babble on about nonsense. It would be a pity if you didn't have your hands. I'm sure that's Yami's favorite part of your body. Or one of his favorites, anyway."

For a moment, she could not understand why her hands and Yami had anything to do with what he had been talking about. She opened her mouth to angrily say something about what he could do with _his_ hands when it suddenly clicked. She paled and then blushed furiously. "You disgust me!" She snapped. He snickered and from the counter Malik could be heard making odd coughing noises.

"Such a little virgin. I'm not surprised that Yami hasn't taught you anything. He probably doesn't know shit himself. _You're _going to be a disappointed woman on your wedding night."

Anzu had nothing she could say. No rational thoughts came to mind and she couldn't immediately come up with a comeback until she remembered the long discussion that Mai had with her about her wedding night. Although embarrassing, it had also been insightful. Anzu had a feeling that the princess had been sincere when she spoke of her experiences and what she gained from them. So, raising her chin haughtily, she told him, "I'll have you know that _some _people don't always follow the traditional vows that you're supposed to have. I won't be a disappointed woman and I haven't ever been." His eyes rose interestedly.

"Is that a fact?"

Anzu pretended to pluck something from the white shirt she was wearing, hoping that her cheeks were not too red. She truly did detest this man. "The feathers...on quills...are rather effective." She crossed her arms and looked up at Bakura, who was gazing at her, a corner of his mouth curled upward. "So are garters, depending on the, ah...partner."

Seto cleared his throat once uncomfortably, loud enough to be heard over Malik's choking. Bakura propped his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers and smiling at her over the top of his hands. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt her hands burning hot from shame at discussing such things openly and with a perverted man such as him, too.

"You're fun," Bakura said at last. "Perhaps I was wrong. I'll let you keep your hands. You don't need your feet. You won't be able to run when I ask you to perform your extensive experience with me."

Horrified, she snapped, "I will _never _do anything like that with you! I'd rather die!"

"I can arrange that." He raised a hand and she moved to jerk back, but found that she was immobilized. In his hand was a sphere of dark magic. He closed his fingers over it and it spilled through his fingers, swirling around his fist menacingly. Her heartbeat hastened as she recalled just how dangerous he was, how more unstable he was compared to Malik or Kaiba. Bakura leaned across the table and pressed his lips to her ear, "Run away from here again and I'll follow you and have you begging for death." He smiled lazily as he withdrew. The darkness evaporated as he opened his fist and she slumped against the chair, shaking fearfully from his threat.

"...I hate you," she whispered.

"Everybody does," he calmly answered.

X

Isis sat alone in her chambers that night. She could hear people talking in the rest of the building, loud and raucous, but that did not bother her as she did not expect to find sleep very soon. As expected, no one else was willing to go with her to Kraion to help the Prince Yami. That, too, did not bother her. It was predictable. She had been hoping they would be kinder, though. Her people were infuriated with the mere suggestion and threw spells at her. Thankfully, she had put up her defensive barrier before approaching them. She knew the people of Hoshäi better than anyone else. It was because of her excellent skills that she was the bearer of the orb that was used to communicate.

Sighing, she brushed her fingers over her forehead wearily. Her thick, ebony hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back to her waist. She collected it and pushed it to one side just as a knock sounded on her door. Pausing, she turned her head to stare at the door, hesitating. A second later, she called, "Enter." She flicked a hand and the door unlocked, allowing her guest to enter. She slid off her bed, pushing her silk robe over her nightgown and making another gesture with her hand, filling her chambers with soft, low light. She met her visitor halfway, exiting her bedchambers. "Shadii. I am surprised. You are usually asleep by now."

"I heard you intend on going to Kraion tomorrow," he commented, "that the prince there has asked our help and you are the only one willing."

"Are you here to offer your assistance, Shadii? If not, I must beg your forgiveness. I am tired from the long day."

"Isis, be as so kind as to stop treating me like an incompetent fool," Shadii serenely said, no sign of the bad mood that his words implied on his face. It was as blank as ever, his azure eyes missing any emotion or expression. "I know that it is not your desire to help Kraion that you are going there. You heard the rumors of him being in that region, I suppose, and think that if you have a reason to leave Hoshäi you can search for him. Let him be, Isis. He left for a reason."

"Malik was run out of here!" She raised her hand to her face, angrily saying, "I could have done something, I could have appealed on his behalf and got him to stay, but he didn't allow me to even _try!_ He's my little brother! I've lost the rest of my family already and Malik has suffered so much because of it. He loved Hoshäi. For him to have to leave it – "

"He loved the Dark Arts, Isis, and abused them to a point that it was frightening even those of us who lived in Hoshäi. He did not love our kingdom. He was turning into his older brother."

"And he was ambushed by his own people – "

"Because he killed his own people," Shadii quietly intercepted.

"There is no law against murder! You know that as well as I do!"

"Regardless. I did not come here to discuss the past with you, Isis, for the past is the past and there is nothing we can do to change it. It is best not to dwell on it." She stared at him brokenly and then whipped around, her mouth tautening in frustration. Shadii had never connected with anyone before to her knowledge. The only person he admitted to truly caring for was her and she cared for him a great deal. However, his views differed compared to her own. "Isis, I suggest you not go to Kraion simply to look for Malik. If you want to help these people, then do so. Personal feelings should not be involved. They will complicate things."

"I am going to help them," she flatly stated, "but if I can sense Malik near, I will look for him."

"I do not recommend that."

"I never protected Marik or helped him and held Malik back when he tried to go to him. I won't let something happen to Malik, too, not when Bakura is in the vicinity. I have more faith in Malik's skills, but just in case...I want..." She trailed off, briefly closing her eyes. For a moment, she remembered when her oldest brother had died, screaming horrifically, deafening her, fighting against the swarm of people around him. She remembered trembling, throwing shield after shield up so that Malik could not get to his brother. Her little brother had howled and beaten against her defenses, had cursed, made promises to kill everyone if Marik died. She recalled all too vividly how he had slumped on the ground, curling up and sobbing. That was the only time she had ever seen him cry. His smiles after that were never real again. "I want to see him smile," she quietly said, opening her eyes at last.

"...I cannot go with you."

"I know," Isis sighed, turning to look at him, "but I appreciate your concern, Shadii. I need to see Malik, to know he is well, to know that he can smile again or I will never forgive myself."

X

DIS: Well, I'm done with the stupid, boring (but unfortunately necessary) parts and hope to move into the more interesting ones. I already have a vague outline of what the ending is going to be. I have one part to get over sometime soon that hopefully will bring in the yummy vexshipping sections that we all love to read.

Oh, and I believe someone mentioned that Yami's kingdom – Kraion – sounded like Crayon? Well, honestly, I was stumped at what the kingdoms should be named and was staring at a box of crayons when I wrote the first chapter. Hoshäi, thankfully, was not inspired by anything and just popped out of my imagination. I'll give out a vexshipping one-shot to the first person who can guess what inspired Anzu's kingdom! As in, object, place, word, person, etc, etc. I think it's pretty obvious, but I could be wrong...

ANYWAY! Please leave a review, telling me how you liked this chapter, as long as it may be. Constructive criticism is embraced. Ciao!


	8. Chapter Eight

DIS: Hooray. Twenty-three pages for this chapter. Can I get a 'whoop-whoop'! More Anzu and less of Yami's boring, worried hero personality, as Bakura would say, lol. Enjoy. **Please read the note at the end of the chapter.**

X

_Chapter Eight_

Anzu woke early in the morning, before the sun had even risen. For a long moment, she lied in the bed, staring ahead of her in the darkness, listening to the quiet sounds of the forest outside. There were no sounds in the house that she could hear, save for her own breathing. Sitting up, she swung her feet over the bed and pulled the smaller quilt around her, cuddling into it and wincing at the cold that hit her feet as soon as she set them on the floor. Limping across the room, she slid her feet in the soft slippers Seto had provided for her to use until her foot healed and left the room.

Pausing in the corridor, Anzu once again listened, but there were no sounds from either Seto's room or the new room that Bakura had created for Malik to sleep in. She wondered when he would retrieve his clothes, if at all. Pulling the quilt up to her chin, she slid down the stairs and then into the den where a fire was crackling low in the hearth. Spotting some firewood beside it on the brick layout, she tossed a log in and then settled in front of it, curled in the quilt. For it being so early and sleeping so restlessly, Anzu was not at all weary.

_Bakura is horrid, _she thought, half closing her eyes as she watched the glowing fire, comforted by the heat. _He enjoys threatening me, like a cat playing with a mouse before devouring it. When is he going to kill me? He hates Yami so much, so why keep me alive? _She sighed softly to herself, folding her arms over her knees and closing her eyes briefly, the quilt sliding down her back. A slight chill from behind her made her shiver and move to pull it back up. There was a slight sound behind her that made her freeze and whip around. In the doorway that led to the entrance hallway was Bakura, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed on her. When he saw that she had noticed his presence, an unpleasant smirk curled his lips upward. "Isn't it a bit early for you to be awake?" He queried in a low tone, tilting his head slightly. She clutched the quilt tighter to herself, wondering just how long he had been standing there.

"I...couldn't get back to sleep," she feebly said. She didn't have the energy to start a fight with him, let alone when there was no one else about. She felt slightly safer with Malik or Seto in the room. When it was just the two of them, her heart raced with fear. She had learned in the short time that she had been here that Bakura had near to no scruples. Killing her, ravaging her, beating her to a barely-living pulp – all were highly likely, knowing the type of man he was, except that he would make it ten times worse by using his sorcery. "Why are you awake?"

"I haven't been to bed yet," he answered calmly, seeming as unwilling to start an argument that early as she was. He paused. "Hmm...I suppose I will have to put a fireplace in your room to keep you from wandering. I'll do that later."

"I didn't come down here because I was cold," she stiffly said. "I didn't want to stay up in that room, awake. I had a bedwarmer in my bed all night anyway." One of his eyebrows rose sarcastically and she could see the snide comment on his face. For some reason, he did not voice it. Only when she peered at him carefully did she see how exhausted he truly was. She refused to feel any pity for him, though, especially since he had only just threatened to kill her the day before. Not even she would show pity to this monster. "Maybe you should go to bed," she suggested blandly, so he did not mistake her statement for kindness.

"I have more important things to do than sleep," he said. "But I hardly want to enjoy your loathsome company for another instant. I only came to see who was awake. Now that I see that it is just you, I'm returning to my room. Don't go nosing about," he added as an afterthought before turning and leaving her to stare after him, her face twisted into an ugly expression of hatred.

_The man doesn't know what his own opinion is! _She snarled in her mind, turning and pulling the quilt over her head securely, glaring into the fire. _I don't have as fickle of emotions as he does, though. I knew I hated him when I first saw him and I most definitely still hate him and will always hate him! _She threw another log into the fireplace and then toddled over to the divan, settling herself on it, huffing as she stared across at the fireplace. _Even though I have a fire going and am wrapped in a quilt, _Anzu thought a moment later after her anger had subsided, _I feel so utterly cold. I miss Shizuka and Jounouchi and especially Yami. Any conversation here consists of threats, insults, and sexual innuendo. At least with Yami, he would tell me what he was thinking and let me help him figure it out. I'm alone now except for my thoughts. I can't wait until my foot heals. I hope Seto's plan works..._

Closing her eyes, Anzu released a sigh, meaning to simply rest her eyes that felt as if they were burning from gazing at the fire too long. She never opened her eyes again, falling into a deep slumber, curled up on the divan. Behind her, Bakura crept from the corridor and frowned down at the sleeping princess. Releasing a sound of disgust, as though he knew exactly whom it had been that dwelled in Anzu's last thoughts, he turned away from her and this time he did return to his chambers.

He hardly had time to deal with a forlorn princess. As he had told Anzu, he had more important things to think about. Bakura rarely had use for his old instruments from when he had been in the palace now that he was safe and had, more or less, mastered the Dark Arts. Most of the instruments that he used while working as court sorcerer were for rituals and Shaping objects, trapping dark magic inside of them so that they remained functioning. The cottage was Bakura's most impressive object that he had Shaped through the Dark Arts. The barrier around it, contrary to his other house guests' beliefs, held no defenses at all, but was made up completely of offensive Dark Magic. The animals knew better to approach the barrier. Any number of attacks would be directed at them through the magic endowed in the barrier. Bakura imagined himself to be rather clever from developing such a mechanism.

But the cottage, the barrier, or his companions were the last concern on his mind, although Anzu was proving to be rather mouthy for a princess. No, he was troubled by his apprentice in Kraion that he had so insulted. He had insisted that Mai was not responsible for the animals for a good reason. The animals were infested with their own magic, that of nature, which humans were originally gifted with from the Nature Spirits. There was no way that Mai could have manipulated the magic to such a deep level of corruption. Bakura had not bothered with explaining this to either Malik or Seto. Malik, Bakura was sure, had been taught this in Hoshäi at some point in his schooling and Seto would have to know something about the magic of the Spirits and beings that dwelled entirely in nature. That neither of them had thought about it annoyed Bakura.

However, he was inclined to believe that a djinn from the other realm or a similar creature had corrupted the magic in the Forest of Dim. Bakura could sense it, as any sorcerer or sorceress ought to, but it felt the same without the corruption. That was the only reason Bakura was willing to forgive his male companions' idiocy.

While that clearly was not Mai's doing, Anzu's sudden appearance in the forest could only be because of the Princess of Kraion. After being forced to admit that Mai might be the reason for this entire situation, he began to consider over where he might assume she would start in her Dark Arts and came up with an unpleasant, but accurate, conclusion. He knew Mai better than her family. He spent his entire life observing people, recording their actions under different levels of emotional stress in his mind. Mai relied on one thing to keep her happy: power. Beautiful as she was, she had power over all men except for Yami and their father.

_If she wanted more power, _Bakura thought as he raised a hand, flames rising high on the wicks of his candles, _than she would do as I did and contract a djinn from the other realm. This would explain how she was able to get Anzu to the Forest of Dim, but with a heavy price from Mai. It would have been simpler to kill Anzu in her sleep rather than drain herself so that her djinn could leave ritual space. _Bakura watched as the flames flickered dangerously before lowering a bit. _Mai will naturally use ritual every time to see her djinn. I have simpler ways of doing things...But I am not going to contract another djinn. The last one was trouble enough._

He leaned towards the flames and reached into the space between the flames, his hand disappearing as he groped thoughtfully for a moment. "What a nuisance," he muttered, flinching as he jerked his hand back and the candles lowered to their regular height. "She's more cautious than I would have anticipated." He frowned down at his hand that was steadily turning from lavender to a violet and slowly to black. "Putting spells around her djinn...Clever. Most sorcerers don't bother with protecting their djinns that way." He smiled and waved a hand, all of the candles going out. His right hand was still black. He would seek Seto out first thing in the morning to deal with it.

_Mai has no idea just who she is playing with. Malik, I'm sure, will be more successful in this. But for now, I want to experiment a little and see where my capabilities can get me. _He smirked. _And besides that, Mai doesn't realize that I have Anzu with me, the one person she wants dead. I'll be able to take both her and Yami down using the Princess of Siruean._

"Ahh...," he sighed, collapsing in a chair and grinning rather disturbingly to himself. "Finally a reprieve from my dull existence."

He had every intention of enjoying this, regardless of his or anyone else's suffering.

X

A knock sounded in the quiet cottage, rousing Malik from his comfortable sleep. For a moment, it echoed in his dreams of Hoshäi and made his brow furrow in puzzlement as he stood in the middle of a desert, a curved war blade in his hand, dripping with blood. He turned from the corpse that was slumped in the sand and was faced with a door, much like the one that was on the room that Anzu slept in. There was another knock, more insistent, and he reached out with his empty hand, twisting the knob. For a moment, there was nothing but darkness and when he stepped forward, a ghastly face loomed from the black, hissing, "You abandoned me, brother."

Malik's eyes flew open just as his door swung open. He jerked to a sitting position, terrified. His heart rate slowed in relief as he saw that it was only Bakura who was outside his door. Perhaps he sensed Malik's distress, for his eyes narrowed on him and then he shut the door behind him. Malik turned his face away and rubbed it, resting his hand on his forehead for a moment. His heart had not yet returned to its original beat. Since Anzu had arrived there, he had been able to escape the nightmares of his family in Hoshäi. She had occupied him with her drama. Now that she was settling down to rest, though, there was nothing to fill his mind whilst sleeping. "Is there a reason you woke me up?" He finally asked Bakura, raising his head. There was a brief moment when he feared Bakura might ask him if he had slept poorly. Malik knew that each of them had their problems and reasons for accepting their exiled state without much of a fight. Malik had once told Seto that Bakura had his reasons for being as he was, yet Bakura had never confided in him. Out of all of them, he upheld the flippant attitude that constantly masked whatever lied underneath. Malik could control himself in front of the other two sorcerers; however, there were simply some times when he needed to be alone and allow himself some weakness.

"I prefer you to be awake before Seto," Bakura said after a pause. "Besides that, I'm going out into the forest to get a few things before breakfast. The girl is downstairs on the divan, sleeping. I don't trust her, nor do I trust Seto to wake up and not sneak behind our backs to scheme with her. Do me a favor and go down there and make certain that she doesn't do anything stupid. She's a little too headstrong for my liking. Princesses are supposed to _prim _and _proper_. Hell, women aren't even supposed to act the way she does!"

"Sexist, are we?" Malik queried with a dry smile. "I'll watch her, Bakura. Go do whatever you need to do." He rubbed his forehead and then frowned, staring at Bakura's side where his hand was lying. He moved to stand up and see what it was that had happened to his hand, but Bakura seemed to foresee his intent and stepped back, pressing his hand behind him. "What have you been doing? It looks like you got into a fight with one of the creatures from the other world."

"Do you honestly believe I am that stupid?" Bakura snorted, turning and opening the door. "Go downstairs and watch the girl." He shut the door and Malik sat in bed, the covers spilling around his waist as he glowered at the door. It was so like Bakura to avoid a question by getting pissy and ordering him about. It was no fun when Bakura was always threatening Anzu or else she might actually be able to deflate his ego a bit. As it was, she feared him, along with hating him. Neither of those things made it easy for things to go smoothly between the two.

Sighing heavily, Malik got out of bed and shuffled across the room, ignoring the bite of the cold from the floor. He continued out of his room, along the corridor, and down the stairs. By the time he entered the den, Bakura had already gone and Anzu was sitting up on the divan with the quilt around her, staring around, disoriented by her surroundings. When she turned to look at him, she cast him an equally confused look and then her eyes dropped a bit and turned into saucers. She sputtered for a moment and then snapped, "Put some clothes on, would you?" Her face reddened and she pulled the quilt up to her face, hiding it from him. He gave her a blank look.

"I do have my clothes on, thank you," he responded. "Men tend to notice if they are naked far more easily than women do."

"_I meant go put a shirt on!_" She screeched from behind the quilt, lowering it to glare at him. He almost gave a pompous smirk when he noticed her gaze travel downward again, lingering on his chest. Living in Hoshäi, where enemies were numerous and the old ways of survival were imperative to one's lifestyle, it was only natural that one must be in shape. And Malik was in very good shape. His slender, muscled chest and arms proved that much. He subdued the urge to gloat and tease her a bit, instead shrugging and moving back upstairs to grab a long-sleeved shirt and returning shortly afterward. She glanced at him, her lips pursed. "Thank you," she said stiffly.

"Anything for you, princess," he mockingly said.

"Please...I get enough sarcasm from Bakura. I really would prefer not to receive any from you, too." He grinned at her and then settled on the divan next to her, tugging on the quilt. Reluctantly, she unpeeled it from its wrapped position about her body and allowed him to tuck himself underneath it, as well. He neither wanted to sleep nor stay awake; he did not want to return to the nightmares of his deceased brother, but he did not feel as though he had gotten enough sleep.

"I suppose you woke from Bakura?"

"I'm not sure," she said thoughtfully, looking to him questioningly. "Did he leave? I don't remember anything waking me up, only suddenly being awake. Why are you awake?"

"Because I woke up," Malik replied serenely, his tone a good indication that this was not a topic to be discussed. He felt her gaze on his face and ignored it. She sighed and pressed her chin into the quilt, staring ahead into the fire. She did not look as though she had slept well, either, by which he was not particularly surprised. Anzu, he had learned, was stubborn yet knew her limits and when to be cautious. Because of her new settings, she was choosing to be cautious and having trouble adjusting. Malik knew, simply by how she spoke and acted, that she was wondering why she was being preserved rather than killed. It was only a matter of time until either Seto told her or she realized it on her own.

"I've been having...strange dreams lately," Anzu abruptly told him. "Well...Bittersweet, I guess, more than anything."

"Ah," he sighed, understanding immediately. "About Yami." He might not ever have loved another woman, but he knew the human mind very well, not to mention the female mind. Her nod confirmed his assumption. "What a nice way to live. Bound to someone that you love. Sounds boring if you ask me."

"I do love him...and I miss him. It wasn't at all boring with him. I don't care what you or Bakura or anyone think about him," she added passionately, her eyes sharpening, "but he's always confided in me and trusted me like nobody else but my brother and father have. My mother never did and none of my friends did. You can't possibly imagine what it's like being completely different than everyone else, being the misfit in your entire kingdom, and having nothing to give to your people. Everyone who has met me wants someone delicate like my mother. I'm not delicate. Yami treats me like I am while making me feel like I'm _needed_."

Malik felt a rising, bubbling anger that he had to push down before he could truly rationalize with himself. The girl was clearly frightened and lonely. When women became like that – or any person, really – they became selfish and that was the truth of it. She was focusing entirely on herself without giving any thought to how much of misfits the three sorcerers in that cottage were. Malik considered lashing out on her, informing her just how wrong she was, how he had always been different than the rest of the Hoshäi people. He had never told anyone why he left Hoshäi, though, and did not intend to start with this pampered girl to whom he had no connections, friendship or otherwise.

"Do you love him or do you love how he makes you feel?" He asked instead. She turned her wide eyes to him, seeming to not understand the distinction. "There are people that you love, that you want to cherish and hold to you forever and could never part with, but then there are the people who are not special at all. They treat you special, different than everyone else, and make it so that you trick yourself into believing that you love them rather than the feeling they give you. Why do you miss him? Do you miss his company or him making you feel like you're needed?"

She clearly had not been expecting to find any wisdom on love in the Forest of Dim - from a dark sorcerer, no less. Malik stifled a bitter smile. He doubted anyone would believe him if he said he was capable of love. He had loved his older brother dearly, more than anyone in the world. He had loved his sister, but she held him back, caused him to abandon his brother, and he felt nothing but hate for her. It was hating her that was the first step to his loathing all women and their ways. Anzu reminded him too much of Isis, with her conviction in what she felt was right and her intelligence in things she felt were dangerous.

But he did not hate Anzu, strangely enough, even though reason suggested he ought to hate her. Instead, he felt nothing. He was completely neutral, even more so than Seto. The life of one princess meant nothing to Malik. He had seen too many lives be annihilated in his short lifetime, most of which by his own hands.

While Anzu mulled over his words, Malik stared broodingly in the fire, rubbing his hands beneath the quilt. No amount of soap would help him. At least some soap could chip away at the blood on Bakura's hands.

Malik knew he was not so lucky.

X

As soon as Bakura entered the cottage, a delectable smell greeted his nose. Intrigued, he gave a cautious sniff and kicked the door closed, seeing that it was Malik cooking while Anzu sat and chopped up lettuce and vegetables for a salad. No matter how many times he saw the princess in such domestic, common settings, it still unnerved him. She slowed in cutting a radish, meeting his gaze mildly. He still had not slept and if he involved himself in any kind of argument with her, he would lose his temper and as he was supposed to be getting her to trust him, that would be the last thing to do. His original plan was not the best, either, but he rather preferred it over Malik's. He wasn't interested in becoming distracted by lust. That was one thing all three sorcerers had in common, at least. "I'll put the fireplace in before breakfast," he told Anzu when she said nothing but stared at him.

"I don't – " she began to say and then stopped herself, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. His eyes narrowed, his arms full of plants and bottles of things he had collected in the forest. He waited a moment longer for her to finish her sentence, something that she never did, choosing to mutter, "Breakfast will be done soon."

"Yes, it will," Malik confirmed, turning from the wood stove. "Seto hasn't come down even once yet. If you're going upstairs, would you get his ass down here, seeing as how he's content to sleep in today? I don't _care _if he usually is awake by now. He's been acting like some kind of lethargic drunk lately." Anzu paused in her cutting, turning slightly in surprise at the description. Bakura merely raised an eyebrow and then met Anzu's gaze as she turned to look at him. Her mouth pursed and her gaze snapped downward. He stifled a smirk. She was already breaking under his feigned kindness.

"I'll do that," Bakura said at last, adding as he moved through the den, "But you're forgetting Seto has always acted like a lethargic drunk." He heard Anzu say something to Malik, likely a disagreement on Seto's character, but ignored her and moved to his chambers, setting the herbs and bottles on his desk. He shed his cloak and dressed in more comfortable clothing before leaving the room and moving upstairs. He knocked on Seto's door and opened it without waiting for a response. He had expected the sorcerer to be sitting at his desk, rather than in bed. Bakura's frown deepened when he saw Seto glaring at him from his bed, his arm tossed over his eyes to shield from the light that spilled through the glass of the window.

"Get the hell out of my room," Seto snapped peevishly.

"Well, _someone_ is having one of their times of the month," Bakura sarcastically commented. For a moment, Seto just stared at him and then his expression blackened to one that seemed fairly murderous. Bakura wondered if he might be able to persuade Seto into attempting to kill him if he continued in this manner.

"Get out!" This time he threw the blankets away, rising to his feet threateningly. Bakura calmly backed out of the room, seeing that Seto was _clearly_ not in the mood for his taunts.

"I didn't come up to deal with you, anyway," he said snobbishly. "Malik wants to know what you're doing up here and to get your ass down there if you want food." Seto made a violent slashing motion with his arm and the door slammed in Bakura's face. He tilted his head, scowling at the door. He would have to do something about his attitude, as well. It seemed the princess was rubbing off on him. Hopefully by the time Seto's temper rose to its full potential, Anzu would be calmed and dancing in the palm of his hand. It would be a bit problematic if he had them both raging against him. He doubted Malik would assist him if he were put in such a position. If anything, the Hoshäi native would be laughing throughout it all.

Dismissing Seto from mind, Bakura continued down the hall to the room that Anzu was sleeping in, stepping in and crossing his arms over his chest, surveying the room. It was smaller than most, with very little space for a fireplace. He could certainly enlarge the room, but he couldn't have any occupants on the floor and as much as he disliked Seto, he didn't want to kill the man. He tapped his fingers on his arms and then stepped further into the room, dropping his arms to his sides as he looked around again. Although not traditional, he could most certainly put a fireplace in the corner rather than flat upon a wall. The hearth would be smaller, yet deeper. Unbothered by that small fact, he decided upon the corner near the door and raised a hand and drew an image of what he wanted the fireplace to look like before drawing symbols in the air with his other hand, holding them there in the air until the walls began to distort. Only then did he allow his hands to drop and he folded his arms again, watching the process to ensure that nothing was out of place. A few minutes later, there was a lovely, brick hearth in lieu of the corner. Satisfied, Bakura left the room and returned downstairs.

In the kitchen, Seto was sitting at the table with Anzu, looking as petulant as he had earlier. Bakura rolled his eyes at his mood and then helped Malik take things to the table. He noticed that his companion appeared wearier than usual. Unlike Seto, Malik seemed to be accustomed to losing sleep and was as cheerful as always. After setting the food on the table, they sat down and after a gesture from Malik, the four of them ate silently.

Halfway through the meal, Anzu cleared her throat uncomfortably and addressed Seto, "Is there anything wrong? It's like you're in a bad mood." Her smile was uncertain when he turned his eyes towards her, pausing in his eating. Bakura watched the interaction interestedly while Malik continued to eat. He was unreasonably irritated with Seto, something he attributed to his lack of sleep. _Naturally, _he thought, _she latches onto Seto after he takes care of her foot. I knew something went on in the room when Malik left._

"No," Seto replied at last, turning back to his food. "I had trouble sleeping."

"Oh...It seems like everyone did," she said. Malik glanced up at her sharply, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Let's see..." She held out her hand and ticked off her fingers with her fork. "Bakura hasn't slept yet, Malik and I woke up early, and you're sleep was restless." She dropped her hands, a puzzled frown crossing her lips. "Is that too coincidental or is it just me?"

"Glad to see you're acting more like a princess and less like the annoying brat you have been," Bakura drawled. She scowled at him, a subtle warning that she was not in the mood for his insults. As it was, Bakura did not care for how she was warming up to Seto. He would prefer her to do that with Malik, who Bakura at least knew was loyal to him. Seto was more conniving than Bakura and would use her amiability for his own designs. Such designs would surely bring ruin to Bakura if he knew the sorcerer as well as he did. "Allow me to remind you that you are not a princess here, but a mere woman who needs to be treated as only that. No matter what your upbringing may be, you are only a brainless female of no consequence."

"And yet you keep me alive!" Anzu snapped.

"I'm sure one of us will find a use for you soon," he said, smiling unpleasantly, his eyes sliding to Malik suggestively. She glared at him fiercely and then whipped her head around to turn her eyes to Malik, who simply stared back at them innocently, his fork in his mouth. He smirked, sliding the fork out slowly. Anzu's eyes turned into her saucers and her eyes dropped down to Malik's chest for some reason. Her face burned red and Malik laughed. Bakura, however, was confused as to what exactly that was about. "In any case," Bakura continued as though nothing had happened, "it is none of your business why I keep you alive. Just know that neither Seto nor Malik care what happens to you. If you want to remain alive to see your beloved _fiancé_, I suggest you try and get in good graces with me." He flicked a look to his plate and found that he no longer had an appetite for the remainder of his food. "But you did make a nice salad, so perhaps you're worth something after all." He stood up and took his plate, cup, and utensils to the sink. "I have things to do. I don't want to be disturbed today."

"He's in a bad mood," Malik told his companions with a grin after Bakura had exited the room.

_Obviously, _Anzu thought. "I'm done myself." Malik waved a hand as she stood up to return it to the sink.

"I'll get it. I don't have much to do today, anyway." She smiled and nodded and returned upstairs to her room. She had asked Malik to heat her some water so that she take a bath after breakfast. Stripping off her clothes, she stepped behind the screen and slipped into the warm water. It was not as hot as it had been when it was first heated, though that did not bother her much. She sat in the water for a long while, her legs drawn up to her chest as she rested her cheek upon her knees.

_Why does he have to be so horrible to me? _She wondered. _Is it just because I'm Yami's fiancée?_ Anzu's brows knitted together as she recalled how Bakura had said 'fiancé' with such contempt. But he had been speaking of Yami and her feelings for him. _None of them really like him, which I can't understand. Malik did offer me advice, though, and I don't know why, but I felt that he knew what he was talking about. What he said has only confused me about my feelings. I don't know if it's Yami I love or how he treats me and makes me feel. For all our life, we've only known each other. That's how long we've been betrothed. What should I do? I still miss him dearly and want to return to him. I just wish I understood my emotions better than I do. _Anzu sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing in the water for a moment before beginning to wash. The water was cold by the time she was done. She dried, dressed, and then drained the marble tub.

After drying and then brushing her hair with a comb she found in the armoire, she limped downstairs and put the loose shoes on that Seto had found her. She had no intention of escaping, instead settling on a pile of logs near one of the sheds, leaning her elbows on her thighs and staring out at the forest thoughtfully. She looked to the house and saw that she could see inside the kitchen through the window. Turning back to look at the forest, she released a small sigh of boredom. While her foot was healing, there was very little that Seto or Malik would allow her to do. It was strange, because she would have thought, as exiled sorcerers whom were involved in the Dark Arts, they would care nothing for how she treated herself or what she did. She was increasingly seeing that what she was told about such sorcerers was incorrect.

"It isn't wise to be unaware of someone behind you," a cool, neutral voice said behind her. Jumping in alarm, she turned to look at Seto. He simply gazed back at her, unapologetic. "Bakura is up to something."

"Do you think...?" she began hesitantly. He shook his head as she trailed off.

"No, Bakura is not so clever. Malik, perhaps, but he would have said something to Bakura if he guessed correctly. Bakura has his suspicions, I assume. Whatever he is working on in his chambers is occupying him enough that is paying me no mind." Anzu gave a weak nod, worried in spite of herself. Seto's calculated answer calmed her nerves. She was becoming to like his blunt way of speaking to her. It reminded her of Yami. She experienced a pang of guilt, hastily assuring her an instant later that she _did_ love Yami, that it was not his manner of speaking to her that she enjoyed. At least, not entirely.

"Have you ever been in love, Seto?" she queried, turning to look at him. She saw his jaw tighten. "How do you ever know that you truly are in love?" Anzu was not stupid, although she was sure Seto would have preferred her to be such. He was good at remaining completely blank and emotionless. If she had not been watching, she would never have seen the subtle clench of his teeth. He had been in love and something had happened. She was uninterested in his past at the moment. She did not think it was her business, having known him for only a short amount of time.

"You don't think about it," he said after a pause. "There is no question of whether you love a person, you simply do. You might struggle with it, deny it, but you never ask yourself if you do love a person. You just know." Anzu stared at him, willing him to look at her. He did, yet she could not see anything but his usual expression. "Should I once again ask you whether you love Yami?"

"No...I do," she firmly said, her eyes drawing to the side as she bit her lip. "I do," she repeated, more to convince herself than him. "I have to love him. He's the only person I have that has treated me so well. How can I not love him?" She dwelled again upon the questions Malik had posed to her that morning: _"Do you love him or do you love how he makes you feel? Why do you miss him? Do you miss his company or him making you feel like you're needed?"_

"Simply because you are betrothed," Seto calmly told her, "does not mean that you must love that person. Yami loves you, but you are still trying to figure that out. I suggest you come to some kind of conclusion before I return you to Kraion, Anzu. If you do not love him..." He stopped a moment, appearing to debate with himself whether to finish his sentence or not. He continued cautiously, "...then I would find another man who you love."

"All the good advice I've gotten about love has been from people who are supposed to be heartless," Anzu quietly said. "Even my best friend did not want to accept that I might not love Yami. What does that say about society?"

"What does that say about the people you choose as friends?" he countered. She looked at him and then turned away to stare at the trees again. She knew, without having to look, that throughout the time she sat there, he stood beside her. She smiled sadly. He seemed to realize that she was in turmoil both mentally and physically. She wished there was something that the sorcerers would let her do. As though he knew how restless she was, he said, "I'm going to prepare a brew for you to help the healing process. Neither Malik nor Bakura will care what you do. Come with me and I'll teach you some of what I know."

"The Dark Arts?" Anzu warily asked him, moving to her feet and following him to the shed that she had purposely avoided being near.

"No," he answered, sounding slightly amused, "just magic."

X

Malik stood at the counter, drying a plate and watching as the door to the shed swung shut. It was strange enough that Seto had been the one to approach Anzu when she was out there. Even stranger was that he would take her with him into the work shed where they brewed most of their potions. Malik generally spent most of his time there, as his potions were far more potent. But, as with his magic, his healing potions and anything that helped, rather than hindered, never came out right. Seto was the only one who could make those potions. So, it did not surprise Malik that Seto was in that shed. It was Anzu's presence with the sorcerer that caused his suspicion. _What is he thinking? _he wondered. -He finished drying the plate and then set it in the cupboard, tossing the towel on the counter and moving through the den, down the hall, and to Bakura's chambers. He had asked not to be disturbed, but somehow he felt that this would be something Bakura would want to know.

He knocked on the door and waited patiently until the door swung open and Bakura glowered at him. "Yes, I did hear you when you said you wanted to be left alone, but a problem has come up." Bakura's glare turned murderous and he admitted Malik inside. Seto was not aware of this, but Bakura had his own quarters behind his bedchambers for his own brews. The smell of herbs and the tingling sense of magic drew Malik's interest. He knew better than to ask Bakura about his private doings, as his friend had never inquired into his own business. It seemed only fair that he reciprocate that respect. "I think Seto is going to charm the girl far before you ever do." Bakura blinked, astonished at how the conversation had begun. "He was with her outside and just now took her into the shed where we brew our potions. I'm not sure if he's looking to get her in bed or simply being nice. There's something definitely going on underneath our noses. I don't really care myself – she's not a part of any of _my_ plans – but you might want to do something about this, Bakura. She already trusts Seto. I have yet to discover _why_ or what the hell he did that was so special."

"Don't be an ass," Bakura grumbled, frowning as he pushed his unwounded hand through his dirty blonde hair. "She trusts you almost as much as she does Seto. The only one she hates is me and that's because as soon as a person goes into Kraion, they come out a day later with my life story. Everyone is taught to hate and fear me. You and Seto are completely unknown to her, especially you." He fell silent for a few moments, deliberating over something. "Yes, this is a problem...Seto doesn't seem the type to try and get a woman to warm his bed. She could be his particular flavor, though, in which case..."

"We're going to have a whole other round of problems," Malik finished grimly. "What should we do, then? I could probably hold him off, keep them from getting together privately. That usually never works and only makes a girl want what she's being denied worse."

"Agreed," Bakura said, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Do this instead. Watch them, see how they progress. Seto might not be engaging in an affair with her at all and has other plans that we're unaware of. If that's the case, then we'll know by you watching them. Try and listen to them, if you can. I'll deal with whatever arises. I have tricks up my sleeve, some of which even a woman that despises me will fall for."

"Are you sure they're in your sleeve or are they in your pants?" Malik asked with a smirk.

"Well, some of them might be."

Malik laughed. "I have yet to witness any of your superior seducing techniques. I almost hope that Seto does slip up so I can see what you're so cocky about."

"Oh, trust me," Bakura assured him, "I can be quite impressive."

X

Yami looked up as Jounouchi exploded into the dining room. He was poking at his lunch half-heartedly. His father had chosen to take his lunch in his chambers that day. Yami suspected he was in one of his stranger moods. Instead, he had Otogi, his future brother-in-law sitting at the table with him. He almost stabbed himself with the fork when his friend flung the doors open so violently. He grabbed the fork and found that Shizuka was running after her brother. She turned a pleading gaze to Yami and then he knew that Jounouchi, with his usual hot-headedness, was about to say something rather rude to either him or Otogi. By the fire in his eyes, Yami was inclined to believe that it would be towards Otogi. He shifted nervously and opened his mouth to say something, but Jounouchi knew exactly what he was doing and spit out, "He's nothing more than a whore in the disguise of a noble!" and thrust his finger towards Otogi. Yami closed his mouth and slowly turned his head to stare at Otogi. The prince's stare was bored as he looked at the finger that was being pointed at him. "He's been trying to seduce my sister!"

"Jounouchi!" Shizuka gasped in horror.

"Well – " Yami began diplomatically.

"He's been asking her to go to his room instead of the random list of servants that serve him," Jounouchi continued passionately, apparently very willing to sacrifice his own good position to ensure that his sister's virtue remain in tact. Shizuka, however, was growing red in the face from embarrassment, her eyes wide as she held her hands to her mouth. "Why the hell does he want _her_ to serve him? Why can't he just take whatever servant that comes? He's revolting! His sister's missing and he's trying to lift some servant's skirt!"

"That's rather rude," Otogi pleasantly responded. "Calling your sister 'some servant.' And you say that _I_ am revolting?" Jounouchi gawked at him in disbelief. "Besides that, you are mistaken in the belief that I would do anything while Anzu is missing. It would be a more interesting pursuit for after I have found her. After all, I would hate to feel guilty about being with her friend and taking advantage of the poor girl." Jounouchi's face filled with rage whilst Shizuka covered hers, shaking her head. Yami stood in the midst of all of this, looking a bit lost and unable to control the situation. "Please obtain some sensibility, can't you?" Otogi sighed, his mouth turning into an irritable scowl. "I'm not such an asshole to go after someone's sister just for a good time in bed, especially if Anzu is good friends with her. Since you insist on being meddlesome, I have been asking for her so that I might have someone to talk with and whose company I can actually enjoy. Imagine that. A man can actually talk to a woman without having his hand between her legs while doing it."

"Could we please refrain on the vulgar language?" Yami said desperately, seeing that both men had forgotten Shizuka was in the room. Knowing the girl, she had likely never heard people speaking with the type of innuendo that Jounouchi and Otogi were content in doing. "There is a lady in the room." Otogi glanced at him and inclined his head respectfully. Yami sighed and put a palm to his forehead. He knew that Jounouchi's concern was genuine; he never would have spoken to a prince of another kingdom in that way if not. Nonetheless, he wanted to remain selfish and worry only about his fiancée. He wished that sunset would come earlier, yet it seemed like the day was dragging on forever. When he raised his head, he started in surprise to see his sister standing in the doorway, looking wan and unhealthy. He hadn't been aware of how the dining room had gone so silent until then. Beside him, Otogi was tense. Holding a hand out, he murmured, "Steady," and then raised his voice so that he could be heard by Mai, "Is there something you needed, sister?"

"Yes," she replied and moved down the length of the table to stand beside him. Jounouchi and Shizuka stepped back, as was necessary. She barely looked at them before saying to him, "I need something from you."

"What is that?" he queried politely, inwardly suspicious. Up close, she looked even more ill than she had further away. There was still a beauty about her that most women could not obtain, but the effects of her earlier sickness still lingered. She seemed so frail that it made him think if he put his hand around her wrist that it would snap in his hands. The thought unnerved him. Mai had always been so proud and stood with dignity and strength. Seeing her in this state disgusted him a bit.

"I would like to be moved out of the palace, to the royal suite in the gardens." He blinked.

"But...that suite hasn't been used in ages! It's probably falling apart from neglect."

"I have checked already," she told him wearily, "and the furnishings and building are in fine condition. I am not asking much, Yami, and seeing as how father does not answer when I call on him, I have to ask you." Her tone had cooled considerably, the area around her eyes tightening when she spoke about their father. Yami did not disagree with her claims, considering over it for a moment. He could not outright demand that she tell him why it was that she wanted to move there and by what royal law dictated, he had no reason to deny her the request. He willingly deceived himself by thinking she might want some other place to rest with the palace in chaos over Anzu's disappearance. He had a feeling she was getting sick of hearing about his missing fiancée, more than anything. He doubted she could do anymore harm. If she wanted to kill him or Otogi, it would be better for her to be in the palace.

"Of course," Yami carefully responded. "No, it's not much of a request at all. No one is using the suite, so I see no reason why you cannot take residence there. I'll send some servants there to tend to it."

"I would prefer to be alone, but thank you for the offer." She turned then, leaving the dining room. While watching her, Yami could not help but be suspicious of her intentions. It seemed that she wanted to be somewhere where no one would see what she was doing. He could not think of _why_, though, when Anzu was lost in the Forest of Dim and he and Otogi were here in the palace. She could cast some sort of sorcery on the palace, he supposed, to get rid of them, but he did not think that likely.

"She is too beautiful of a woman," Otogi said in a dark voice.

"It is a good way of hiding things," Yami vaguely replied, poking at his food again. "Shizuka, Jounouchi, please sit. Help yourself to lunch." They settled on his other side, across from Otogi, without hesitation and filled plates with food. Yami had often invited them to dine with him when his father was not present. Naten was more traditional in the way that he viewed those below him, just as Mai was. Yami was less like this and he had heard that his mother had been kind to those of the lower classes, as well. She had never been friends with them, though. Yami was glad for his friends, who were not nearly as deceptive in their intentions towards him as those of the nobility were.

"She wants to do something in that suite," Otogi said as Jounouchi and Shizuka ate. Jounouchi was still sending him evil looks, all of which he ignored. "Should you have given it up to her?"

Yami said nothing.

X

Anzu sat quietly in the chair at the far end of the work table, something in which Seto was grateful. He had once had an apprentice who never shut up, always asking questions – inane ones, at that – and wanted to make _conversation_ of all things! Anzu had asked very few questions thus far and never drew her eyes from his hands except for when he asked her to hand him something. If he did not know better, he might have assumed that Anzu had some magic in her blood. However, as he well knew, she did not. Magic was not common in Siruean, so he was unsurprised that the princess did not have any, let alone any of those in her family. Besides that, he could not sense any in her and both Malik and Bakura had validated that fact.

"Here is your brew," Seto said in the silence of the work shed, taking a deep, metal spoon and pouring the steaming liquid from the cauldron and into a cup. She took it from him carefully and then blinked when she realized it was not hot. Seto turned from her to pour the brew into other containers for later. He had only made enough for the following three days. The brew was potent enough that her wound would be healed by the end of the third day. Seto expected to have her out of the Forest of Dim by the night of that day. If all his plans went as they ought to, there would be no complications. He might have some problems the next morning, but he could handle Malik and Bakura easily enough. "It will help the healing process be quicker so that we can leave the Forest of Dim to Kraion in three days' time." He glanced over his shoulder to see her drink the last of her brew and set it on the work table. He took the cup to wash it in the basin in the corner and returned to stand in front of her, a hand braced on the counter.

"And Bakura and Malik won't know anything?"

"No, I don't expect they will. To be safe, I want you – " The shed's door snapped open, startling them both. Malik was in the doorway and his eyes moved interestedly from Seto to Anzu and back to the sorcerer, his eyebrows slowly rising. "Malik...Did you need to use the shed?"

"Only if you are finished in here," he chirped in response, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. "I suppose you _would_ want some privacy other than the house, wouldn't you?" Seto's jaw tightened, aggravated, as he stared blackly at the blonde settled comfortably in the doorway. Anzu gave a blank look, completely oblivious as to what he was speaking about. Her eyes slid to Seto, who pointedly ignored her. He was running through all the things that he could do to Malik and then all the spells he could cast on him to keep him quiet until he wished for him to speak. The very last thing he needed was Malik running to Bakura, telling him that he was engaging in trysts with the princess in the work shed. But then, Seto could not be sure that Bakura did not already suspect him of that. He knew that his position had not looked entirely innocent, either, which would only complicate matters.

"No," he bit out, "we don't _need_ privacy for anything." Malik's eyebrows rose in amusement, a subtle hint that he did not believe it for one moment.

"In any case, I have some things I need to make if you two are quite done. Bakura is absorbed in what he is doing in his chambers and if I know him, he'll be a stubborn enough ass and not sleep. He seems intent on keeping himself busy, so I need to make him a regenerative brew."

"A regenerative brew?" Anzu spoke up. Both males glanced at her. "Er...should I not ask?"

"No, that's fine," Malik replied after a thoughtful pause. "Simply surprised by your interest." His eyes narrowed slightly and then he shrugged carelessly. "Most regenerative brews – or at least the basic ones – are made to avoid weariness, but I never learned any basic magic, as you might imagine. Those in Hoshäi learn the best of everything. The Dark Arts are not made up entirely of evil things and there are many brews and spells that can help a person. The Dark Arts are also the most advanced of all magic. As Hoshäi is ruled by these Arts, all the spells are advanced. The regenerative brew I'll be making was originally used for those lost without food, water, or any other necessities."

"So...Bakura wouldn't even have to eat and he would be fine?"

"Correct. He's rarely ever focused so intently on something as he is now, but when he gets this way, he hates being disturbed and even more does he hate having to interrupt himself to nourish his body. This brew will at least save him time and he won't need to cook anything and simply drink the brew. He won't lose any body mass whatsoever and be completely healthy." He smirked in a rather conceited manner. "I suppose you were not aware that the Dark Arts could do such things."

"No," she admitted, "but it makes sense that it has both the offensive and defensive aspect. As they say, a good offense is a good defense."

"That's a matter of opinion," Seto frostily stated, having stood there listening to them for the past few minutes. He picked up the containers for Anzu's brew and indicated for her to take the remaining one. "Make your brew then. I have better things to do than be educated on your kingdom's views of the Dark Arts." Malik chuckled and pushed away from the doorframe and stepped aside to allow them to pass. Seto ushered Anzu to go first and once she was a few feet from the shed, Seto paused in front of Malik and glared down at him. "Don't make assumptions, Ishtar. I'm not in the mood to deal with any piss fit of Bakura's."

"Bakura doesn't give a shit who does what with her," Malik said, raising a shoulder in a shrug. "Frankly, neither do I. You just don't seem the passionate type." His eyes slid past Seto to Anzu, who was waiting for Seto, her brow wrinkled in concern, seeing that their interaction was not a friendly one. "But she's Yami's girl. Neither of us have had enough personal interaction with him to understand his actions, to really gauge his next move. That is something that Bakura is the better expert. It's the only reason why he's daring enough to keep Yami's fiancée here, why he's keeping her dancing on her toes. If you're doing anything with her, then you need to be careful because if Yami ever finds out – "

"I'm not," Seto interrupted curtly. "And, even if I were, it would be none of your business if you or Bakura don't care about what she does so long as she stays here."

"No, but we will have to deal with the repercussions. Bakura is eventually going to let Yami find us. When he does, if he realizes that Anzu has been warming his bed, he'll freak. Any man would. That could cause problems that none of us want. Personally, I don't envy Yami for having a girl like Anzu. She's more trouble than a woman is worth."

"That, too, is a matter of opinion," Seto calmly answered. "Some women are worth a lifetime's worth of trouble." Malik's expression darkened slightly and then he quickly regained a blank mask. Seto eyed him suspiciously for a moment and then turned to meet Anzu, saying, "Good luck with the brew."

"What did he say?" Anzu asked once they were inside the kitchen and had set the containers on the table. Seto shook his head silently and moved to the sink to wash his hands just as Bakura strolled lazily into the kitchen, his mouth taut. For a moment, Seto wondered if he and Malik had some sort of telepathic exchange. However, he soon realized it was pain that caused the expression on Bakura's face. There was the slightest bit of sweat on his forehead and he was clutching his right wrist. Anzu, too, had noticed and there was the slightest bit of concern on her face. She stepped towards Bakura and then stopped herself, clenching her hands at her sides. Bakura glanced at her from beneath his fringe of hair and chuckled.

"This is nothing you can help me with, princess. Go find yourself something productive to do. I need to talk with Seto privately." She frowned, but willingly left, casting a look to his blackened hand. "Damned, nosy woman," he muttered and then collapsed in a chair, releasing a sigh. "I let this go for longer than I had been expecting. A protective spell around a djinn," he elaborated as Seto leaned over to inspect his hand. "Do you have anything on hand to take care of it with?"

"...I might, but it's in the shed and Malik is in there," Seto answered, brushing Bakura's left hand away, pushing the sleeve of his shirt from the wrist. "It's spreading upward too rapidly for my liking. It's past the wrist. If we don't get it taken care of now, you might be one less an arm."

"Fuck Malik then. I'm not going to let my arm fall off." He stumbled to his feet and hit the table. The clank of glass drew his attention. With his good hand, he picked up one of the containers and moved it from side to side, the brew sloshing around inside. "What's this?"

"A healing brew for her foot," he shortly said. "We don't have time to make conversation, Bakura, especially if I don't have a potion pre-made." The latter sorcerer set the container back on the table in silent agreement and followed Seto outside to the work shed. Without knocking, they burst in to see that Malik had only just begun on his own potion, cutting up a plant on the counter. His feathery brows knitted together in mild confusion. Seto ignored him, shoving past to the shelves in the back of the shed, groping through them before finding the desired brew. He popped the lid off and took a metal rod from a wooden box with gold clasps, stirring the brew. The dull, gray liquid shifted with the rotations of the rod, turning into a brilliant orange, emitting a lively glow. "It's still good. Soak your hand in this." He thrust the container towards Bakura. After he had taken it, he cleaned the rod and replaced it.

"I don't suppose anyone is going to tell me exactly how that happened?" Malik asked, having remained respectfully silent throughout their intrusion.

"A protective spell."

"Hmm...On what?"

"A djinn."

"But..." Malik trailed off, seeming to understand that it would not be too likely that he would receive any straightforward answers from either man. Bakura had shoved his sleeve up to his elbow and had half his forearm and hand submerged in the liquid.

"Keep that in there for ten minutes," Seto ordered Bakura, "and don't take it out even once. It will eat away at the dead flesh and will be tender for the rest of the week since you'll be missing a few layers of skin. I wouldn't suggest getting involved in the other world until you are prepared to take the necessary precautions against your person, Bakura."

"Your advice has been heard, Seto," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Thank you, but I am aware of my blunder. I hardly need you to inform of something that I already know." He clasped the glass container more securely against his chest and glanced at Malik, who was drinking in their conversation without a word. Satisfied, he turned and left the shed without so much as a sincere 'thank you' for Seto's help. Malik shook his head and returned to cutting his plant. Seto stifled an irritated sigh and also left the shed, shutting the door behind him to give Malik his privacy. Sometimes he wondered why he even saved that buffoon's life if all he was going to do was recklessly throw it away time and time again. He supposed it was the sliver of loyal honour that he had retained after his unbearably long life.

X

Isis could feel the eyes of the people of Kraion pointed towards her. In the capital city of Kraion where the castle was located, there were only the best of people who lived here. They had the most money and the majority of them were in the king's court. Isis Ishtar felt nothing but disgust for them. In her home of Hoshäi, there was no such thing as a person above another. The wealth was distributed equally because opportunities were distributed equally and everyone knew the same things as all others. Although there were some more skilled than others in the Dark Arts, they were not sneered upon. Instead, they were seen as prey. Those that were weak in Hoshäi did not survive to suffer. Here, the poor suffered from inequality.

Leading her Appaloosa up the hill to the castle gates, Isis allowed her gaze to roam from the curious and hostile stares of the Kraion peoples' to move along the gray walls of the castle. They extended beyond her eyesight and the massive castle seemed to loom over the capital city. It was almost as though the structure was a subtle warning to those below. It was yet another aspect of this kingdom that she did not like. It was no wonder Kraion and Siruean were not nearly as famous in her kingdom as Hoshäi was in theirs.

The men at the gate stepped threateningly towards her as she approached the gates. She stifled a derisive snort at their failed attempt at intimidating her. She knew that she looked foreign to these men with her wispy off-white outfit. She kept her shawl around her head, but pulled down the part that was covering her mouth and narrowed her eyes at them. In turn, their grip on their swords tightened. This was not any way in which she liked to be greeted. She raised a hand and the men froze, their faces distorting into terror. "I would suggest, gentlemen," she told them in her low voice, "that you greet a guest of your prince's more politely." She breezed past them, only their eyes being able to move to watch her. Past the gates, the castle grounds were virtually empty with only a few soldiers and servants mingling in the open, green landscape. She stared around her for a moment and then moved further into the grounds before releasing her spell from the men at the gate. After she did, she heard them hurrying to follow, shouting at other soldiers.

Before they could try to lay her down, a blonde male darted out and started swearing at all the soldiers, threatening beheadings and other less friendly things to certain parts of their anatomy. The men paled and scurried away, with only the sentries hesitating, glancing from her to the blonde. The male in question glared mutinously, causing them both to hurry backwards, stumbling over their feet. Isis could not help but smile at the entire scene. It was all too comical. "Sorry about that," the blonde huffed with a grim twist of his mouth. Isis surveyed his face and concluded that this must be the captain. Despite his display of anger, his face hinted at a gentle personality, perhaps even a man with a warm heart. In Hoshäi, he would be considered weak. But here, she could appreciate such a man. She appreciated Shadii despite his tenderness towards her, something people would look down upon if they knew that side of him. "I'm Jounouchi," he introduced with a lopsided smile. "Yami – er – the _prince_ told me to look out for you. You'll be Isis Ishtar, I guess? Man, we're sure glad to have you here. Guess no one else was willing to come? Well, I don't blame them. Those idiots don't know how to treat a lady right!" He beamed at her and ushered her forward, towards the castle. "I'll have my sister take care of your horse. She's good with animals."

As he said that, two others came to join them. One was a man that walked with a natural swagger. At first she thought that he might be the prince of Kraion. However, his expression did not imply that he was, nor did the hum of magic he was emitting. She suspected this was Otogi, the sorcerer the prince had spoken of when convening with her. The girl beside him had no magic, but held the same welcoming expression that Jounouchi did. "Hello," she greeted Isis in a sweet voice. "My name is Shizuka. I'll take your horse to the stables and get it settled in if you don't mind." Isis shook her head and handed the reins to the girl. Her horse did not become fussy as he generally would when a stranger touched him. "Does it have a name?"

"His name is Maelstrom," Isis answered with a dry tilt of her mouth. "Not a name I chose for him."

"Ah! Well, he's beautiful," Shizuka said, running her hand over his nose. She guided Maelstrom away, waving at Otogi, who smiled in return. Isis watched as Jounouchi's expression turned dark with irritation. The sorcerer ignored him.

"Alright, we'll take you to Yami," Jounouchi gruffly told her, shooting daggers towards Otogi. Isis inclined her head politely, pulling her shawl back up to her mouth to hide her smile. Otogi walked beside her, a step behind as was respectful, while Jounouchi led the way into the castle. She memorized the path they took and how many turns there were in order to get to their destination. They went up stairs and down corridors until they arrived at a door. Jounouchi knocked and then pushed it open, stepping inside to gesture Isis in. She walked cautiously, something that was in her nature, and Otogi soon followed. The two men remained behind her, something she was uncomfortable with. In her experience, baring one's back to another person was not acceptable. She shifted her position so that her back was facing the wall and she could keep them in her eyesight. Only then did she look at the prince of Kraion.

He was not quite what she was expecting. Based on his voice, she had expected someone large with harsh features and a constantly glowering expression. Instead, he was slender with a face that was kind, yet impossibly sad. There was clear weariness in his eyes and seemed to weigh his body down. The loss of his fiancée was more troublesome to him than she had originally thought. He truly did miss her and seemed to love her just as dearly as he had implied. He rose to his feet from his seat and offered a smile that was surprisingly genuine. "Welcome to Kraion, my lady," he greeted, holding out his hand, palm up. She glanced at it and then placed it on his. He bowed over it and then, with her hand still in his, directed her to a seat across from him. Otogi took a seat beside Yami while Jounouchi stood beside him. "Thank you for coming, even if you were unable to bring others."

"Nobody else was willing," Isis replied, removing her shawl altogether. Otogi's eyes moved from her face to her hair without either lust or interest. There was a hard look of disbelief in his eyes. She could see that he did not trust her. "I will be honest with you, something that is rare among my people. My reasons for helping you are not entirely selfless."

"Oh, but of _course_," came the sorcerer's caustic remark. Yami held up a hand to silence him without shifting his gaze from her. The latter cast him a dirty look, but said nothing more.

"Three years ago, my little brother left Hoshäi and abandoned me and his people. Our family has been known to have excellent skills in the Dark Arts. My brother, Malik, was one of the best in the more violent side of the Dark Arts. He can do no defensive skills, not even create a potion that would help a person. He can only make things for bad. He killed without reservation in Hoshäi. Normally, we do not care who dies or who kills, but...he went too far, I suppose. Our eldest brother, Marik, was just like this and was brutally murdered by our own people. I held Malik back and he has never forgiven me. He ran off shortly after our brother's death." She paused, noticing that Yami suddenly held a shuttered expression. Otogi said nothing, staring across at her, lacking expression. "I have heard rumors to the effect that Malik is in this region. When you said there were sorcerers in the Forest of Dim, I had hoped that one might be Malik. It's been too long for me to identify his magic, but if he is in there, I need to see him."

"And what of my sister?" Otogi demanded angrily. "Thank you for sharing your sob story of a life, my lady, but you're not the only one who has had sibling problems. Yami's sister is a lunatic! She's probably after his life." Isis blinked, turning her gaze to the prince. He did not deny it, but neither did he acknowledge it.

"If Anzu is not in the Forest of Dim as we think," Yami spoke, "then she is dead. I will not rest until I find her, dead or alive. I can't stop thinking that she is being tortured by that damn Bakura in the forest. If that is how her life is right now, then I would rather have her dead." He sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "I must find her, Isis. I love her, just as you love your brother if not in the same way. Not only that, I must consider the political aspect to this problem. Otogi has already told me that the people of Siruean are pointing the finger at me and my father. Our diplomatic situation with Siruean could be torn apart. There is too much at stake here..."

_So she is the princess of Siruean...Then Otogi must be the prince. _"I understand," Isis calmly replied. "She is my first priority." She hesitated. "This man, Bakura...He is involved in the Dark Arts?"

"Yes," Yami replied, frowning. "What are you thinking?"

"Malik is not stupid. He will be an asset to Bakura and having an ally will be beneficial to Malik. Where we find Malik, we will find Bakura and therefore find your fiancée."

"But that means that two damned sorcerers will have put my sister in danger!" Otogi exploded, leaping to his feet in outright panic.

"No...She is in no danger from Malik," Isis musingly said. "He began to hate women because of me."

"And as for her virtue, I do not think that Anzu is danger with Bakura," Yami reassured Otogi. "For as long as I knew Bakura, he was never with a woman. It was almost as though he was too preoccupied to bother himself with it. As for her being alive or unharmed, that is what I worry about most." He returned his attention to Isis. "How long do you think it will take you to come up with a plan, Isis?"

"I expect we will be able to venture into the Forest of Dim very soon. I do not suggest you enter with us, though, my lord. Only the prince of Siruean and I shall go - for obvious reasons. One who is without magic will only hold us back." Yami nodded, but it was clear that he did not like to stay while they put themselves in danger for him. "We are capable of it, I assure you."

"Man!" Jounouchi suddenly spoke up in the silence that fell. "A bunch of bloodthirsty men ready to beat a woman and I can't even do anything with them!"

Yami chuckled, shaking his head. Isis smiled.

Sometimes laughter was needed even in the grimmest situation.

X

DIS: Congratulations to Sakura Takanouchi, I will be contacting you shortly. As for my silent readers, thank you for reading and thank you for putting my story on your favorites/alerts, but I seriously need feedback if I'm ever going to get better at writing or if I'm not addressing concerns or if it's going to slow, etc. So please give me feedback or else this story if just going to end up on a permanent hiatus since you people seem to feel that this isn't deserving of so much as an email or PM. I don't care about the review count, I just want feedback. So please give it to me or else I'm going to just get disinterested in this story altogether.

With that said, a few questions: How do you think I'm doing building on the relationship between Anzu and the sorcerers? Is it fairly realistic in her type of situation? Do you think I should lay off the drama and add some humor to lighten it up and do you think it would work without rushing the relationships? Am I doing alright with Anzu, Bakura, Malik, Seto, and Yami's characters? How about the minor characters, Shizuka, Isis, Otogi, Jounouchi, and Mai?

Please leave a review on your way out, maybe answer some of the questions I've posed? I really want to know how I'm doing, people. Ciao!


	9. Chapter Nine

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Nine_

The djinn frowned unhappily as his mistress leaned over her thick spell book. She was still unwell, there was no contesting that fact. Purple shadows lingered beneath her eyes and she could not remain standing for as long as she ought to were she healthy. He hovered protectively behind her, frustrated that he could only remain above the goblet. As if sensing his unease, she straightened and held a hand out to the djinn. He took her hands in his and rested his cheek against it. "This is something I must do, djinn," Mai told him in a soft voice. "I can wait no longer. I cannot die while our contract is still active. You have told me this. I may need some of your power, though, just a small sliver of it so that I might be able to complete these spells. If I don't, they'll collapse and all my energy will be wasted. And...I could die. As much as I hate this wretched life of mine, I do not want to die."

"Are you so vain?" He queried with sad eyes.

"No," she murmured, "I am lonely."

Mai was, in fact, lonelier than she ever had been before. The royal suite in the gardens of the castle was surrounded by thick greenery, the only sound being that of birds and insects outside. No servants came near here, as it was too far into the gardens. The only exception was when she needed to restock on food and other supplies. She had made certain that the royal suite was full of food, though, and fresh water could be drawn from the pump outside. She doubted that she would be able to eat much food after she performed these spells. She and the djinn both knew that these spells could kill her. _They are relatively simple spells, though, _she thought dismally, _so _why_ do they keep doing this to me? _"Djinn..."

"Princess," he replied quietly, raising his head.

"What explanation do you have for me? Why would these spells take so much out of me? It was only recently that they began to affect me so badly. I once was able to deal with this without hardly any repercussions." She gently removed her hand from his and clasped her hands beneath her chin, glaring across from her. Mai had set up the ritual in the drawing room and was presently seated on the floor. The sunlight from the long windows caused a warm glow to emit from the red and gold velvet furnishings. Even Mai glowed with her yellow, satin gown. Yet there was no happiness in the room at all. Mai was deliberating hard upon the matter at hand.

"I am not certain, princess," he reluctantly admitted. She nodded and then returned her gaze to the book lying upon her lap. She unclasped her hands and drew in a slow, deep breath.

"I am going to release you from your bindings first, djinn, so that your power is not so weak. You will be able to help me more. I trust you to not break your word." She raised her eyes to his. The djinn could not have broken his promise before, but looking at her hollow eyes...He would never betray her. He pitied her and yet he adored her and admired her. A djinn was supposed to be careful in how he distributed his emotions. He let his pity take control and warp itself into something else. "Can I trust you?" Mai asked him when he simply stared at her.

"Yes."

"Then let us begin."

X

Seto woke early enough to go into the forest by himself. The cottage had been quiet and besides his companion's rooms, empty. He stood thoughtfully among some bushes, the subtle smell of rosemary pleasantly rising to his nose. He knelt next to the plant, running his fingers over the petals of the soft flower. Although mostly white, there were tinges of violet in the petals. The fragrance was stronger the closer he was. It was a fragrance he had begun to hate. He knew better than to go anywhere near the plant except when it had been ground up for potion uses. Nonetheless, when it came to matters of the heart rather than the mind, this was the perfect place for him to think. It inspired him.

He could not help but debate with himself on the intelligence of his decision to help Anzu. He cared nothing for the girl or what Bakura did to her. The reasons he gave to Anzu were, overall, true enough. He had fled to the Forest of Dim to escape the precious memories he had in Kraion and to get away from the people there that knew of him. Going anywhere else would have resulted in blatant stares, stares that assumed they knew him simply by rumors. He wanted nothing of that and if Yami were to find him here, he might possibly be shoved into the spotlight again, something he wanted nothing of. The reason he kept hidden from everyone but himself was not a thing, but someone: Kisara.

Seto snatched his hand from the rosemary and turned his back on it, his face clouding over. _Anzu's eyes...are blue, just like Kisara's, _he recalled thinking when he first met the princess. She was not as sweet-natured as Kisara had been, but every time her defensive walls were torn down, she reminded him so much of the girl he once loved. When he had been fixing her foot, she was weak and completely unaware of any eyes seeing her raw self. And, as he had met Kisara through healing her, he had a dim protective nature for Anzu from then on. He hated that such a thing would affect him. He did not wish it to be so.

_If I continue to see Anzu as Kisara, _he thought with growing disgust in himself, _it will only cause problems with Malik and Bakura. I don't want either of them to butt into my business. Kisara is dead. Anzu is only a sliver of what she was. I mustn't let my emotions get the worst of me. _Seto sighed, raising a hand and pressing it against his forehead, closing his eyes. He dragged it through his hair, opening his eyes and glaring moodily at the ground. With his hand in his hair, he turned slightly to look at the rosemary. _Kisara...used to smell like rosemary. _Shaking his head, he dropped his hand. _I need to get Anzu out of our lives. I can't stand not being in control of myself like this... _He moved to leave, nearly colliding with the new arrival in the clearing.

Bakura glanced at the rosemary and back at Seto. "I wasn't aware you were awake," he remarked to Seto. In one hand, he had an ugly plant of some sort. Seto stared at him coldly. Inwardly, his heart was thundering with alarm. How long had Bakura been watching him? Because his thoughts had been so engrossed in the past, he hadn't even sensed the sorcerer near him. Bakura's gaze slid over his face and then he passed him to approach the rosemary. Seto watched as he cut some pieces off of it, his mouth tightening. In his eyes, he saw blood pouring from the plant, reddening Bakura's hands and knife. "What's wrong with you?" Seto blinked and the image was gone. Bakura was standing in front of him again. "You look like you've seen a monster." His eyes narrowed warily on him as he said this.

"I have," was all Seto said in return to this.

"I won't dispute that," Bakura answered calmly enough. "Go back to the cottage. Maybe you'll be acting a little saner by the time I come back. Tell Malik I'll be back in time for breakfast. Oh...and Seto?" he added as Seto once again attempted to leave the clearing. He paused obligingly and glanced over his shoulder at the male. "Stay away from Anzu. She trusts you too much for my comfort. I don't need you meddling in my plans."

"That sounds like an issue _you_ have to work out," Seto curtly responded and then turned on the spot, vanishing and arriving at the cottage. He trudged inside to see that Malik was already awake and working on breakfast. The dark circles under his eyes suggested that Malik had gotten as little sleep as Seto had, the tension in his jaw supporting the assumption that it had to do with nightmares. "Bakura wants you to know he'll be back for breakfast."

"Sounds wonderful," Malik muttered and then sighed, slamming the knife on the counter as Seto started towards the door. He paused, wondering if he was about to have a confrontation with him as well. "When is Bakura going to do something about the girl? I like her just fine, but he has been letting this go for longer than usual. Now he's sidetracked with some other project of his and is showing no incentive to deal with the first project he started."

"He's your friend."

Malik shot him a dirty look. "I could care less. He's being as forthcoming with me as he generally is with you. And _you_ are getting rather close to her. I would have thought he would do something about that."

"Is there a reason why you are musing aloud to me or are you simply trying to rouse an argument from me? If it is the latter option, you will be disappointed as I am not particularly in the mood for it." Malik raised his eyebrows interestedly and leaned against the counter with his forearm, putting his other hand on his hip. Seto pointedly ignored the skeptical look and said, "I'll be in my room," ascending the stairs to avoid any exchange of words. All he wanted was to be alone before he had to face those blue eyes again, to be reminded of a woman that he had lost.

Malik watched Seto's retreating figure with some confusion before shaking his head and returning to his cooking. The real reason for his frustration was that Bakura's flippant attitude towards this was beginning to get on his nerves. He generally did not bother worrying about such things, yet this was taking it a bit far. _Yami is going to send _someone_ for Anzu if he loves her as much as I suspect. He's a hopeless romantic. Of course he is going to do something about her disappearance. The longer Bakura keeps her away from Yami, the more restless the idiot is going to get and the more impatient, for that matter. He probably suspects that Bakura has her and knows where she is. I don't need that kind of trouble here. _He sighed, setting his spoon down that he had been using to stir the porridge. Malik pushed a hand through his hair, closing his eyes as he brow furrowed in what almost appeared to be agony. _I can't stand this...I can't stand not being to sleep. How much longer will I have to suffer for what Isis did, rather than what I did? _He opened his eyes and stared down at the bubbling porridge. _How long will I have to suffer for the life I had been born into?_

Malik pulled the pot away from the stove and the fire that was heating it, covering the top so that it remained warm. He collapsed at the table and pressed his face into his arms. _I'm so tired of this farce of a life that I'm living, _he thought to himself.

X

Bakura dumped the plants he had collected outside by the firewood and sighed, making a fist and rubbing his knuckles against a knot in his neck. He glanced towards the cottage, his mouth turning down unhappily. He could practically feel the tension rolling off the building. Releasing a sigh through his nose, he clapped his hands together to get rid of the dirt and headed towards the cottage. Seto's behavior was strange enough, but Malik's mood had slowly diminished to one of permanent irritation in the past day. He suspected it had to do with lack of sleep, for there was no doubt by how Malik's appearance had been that it could be anything but that. Anzu, at least, had remained as she always had, if a bit less rowdy than usual.

He opened the door and saw that there was food on the table and Malik and Seto were already eating. He frowned, seeing that their female companion was not present. "Where is the girl?" he asked. Malik made a vague gesture towards the ceiling. "Why did you not wake her?" Bakura continued in his interrogation in a mild, patient tone. He received a shrug from his blonde companion and no reply at all from Seto, who seemed to be pretending that he was the only one in the room. Sending them disgusted looks, he stormed upstairs moodily and entered the princess's bedroom without knocking. Thankfully, she was still warmly encased in bed. He considered throwing water on her, but immediately halted that thought. He didn't need _her_ in a bad mood, too, for a woman's temper was far more annoying than any male's.

Bakura paused beside her bed and surveyed her for a moment. While awake, she was always on guard when around him or else she was constantly looking for something to nag about; it was hard for him to find her attractive for those reasons. However, while asleep, she seemed oddly at peace and – dare he say – even a bit pretty. He could see the slight worry in her brow, though, which made him wonder how a person could be distressed even in sleep. He sighed through his nose, exhausted with the entire situation at hand, and glanced to the end of the bed and then back at her face. She was not going to like him waking her up at all.

With a wave of his hand, the covers were jerked off of her and she sat up quickly, blinking blearily, clearly still half asleep. "Wha...?" she mumbled, blinking and turning to look at him. Her eyebrows slanted down in confusion and then she went bug-eyed.

_Here we go..._, he thought.

"GET OUT OF HERE YOU DISGUSTING _PIG_!!!!"

Malik paused in his chewing and slowly turned his head to stare at the stairs. There were several thumps that sounded from upstairs and screeches from Anzu. He once heard Bakura swear and snap, "Damn woman!" Malik flicked a look to Seto.

"Do you suppose we should help or...?" he ventured uncertainly.

Seto ignored him.

Upstairs, Anzu had violently thrown herself at Bakura and after biting him and a lot of struggling, she had him on the floor. And, tangled in his robes he might be, Bakura was putting up a brave fight. He chose not to use magic for this battle and although he was pissed at her behavior, he was more entertained that some little girl had used what little strength she had to drag him to the floor of her bedroom. Most women would not have dared to attempt it. "You know," he commented when she paused above him, holding a hair pin like a weapon, "if you wanted me so badly, you could have simply said so. I might have offered my body as consolation for being lonely." He smirked at her horrified expression. "Or do you think I get off on being treated like a bad boy?"

"You're such a...such a _pig_! I don't want anything like that from you! What were you doing to me while I was sleeping anyway? Watching me sleep like the sadistic weirdo you are?" she demanded. "And why did you take the covers off of me?"

"Actually, I was trying to wake you up so that you could go downstairs and have breakfast," he said calmly. His hand throbbed where she had bit him, but otherwise he was unbothered by what had just happened.

For a moment, she stared suspiciously at him, clearing trying to deduce whether he was lying or not. Looking at his face would have done very little either way, as Bakura was a rather expert liar. After a pause, she rose to her feet and dropped the hairpin on the floor. He got to his feet a little less gracefully because of his tangled robes. He swore to himself as he untangled them, only mildly irritated. Anzu watched him, her brows drawn together in bemusement. She realized that she really did not understand, much less this sorcerer. He had been so horrid to her at first and now he was actually making an effort to not blow up on her – or, if not that, he wasn't as temperamental towards her as he had been. Maybe it was just Bakura who was complicated, because Yami had been far more understandable than this. When he saw that she was staring at him, he raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not taking my robes off for an early romp, princess."

"Why do you have to turn everything into something perverted?" she demanded. He smirked in return.

"Because I'm a male who has been deprived, why else? Now, can we please go downstairs and eat? Unlike you, I have been awake for some time and am famished. As entertaining as rolling around on the floor is with you, it isn't the first thing I want to start my morning with."

"Interesting, because those are my sentiments, too," she told him and stalked past him. As she did, she heard him chuckle behind her. Flushing angrily, she hurried downstairs. It suddenly occurred to her that her foot was better, which made her pace slow somewhat. _Today is the third day, _she thought. _I have to drink one more container of potion and by tonight, I might be out of the Forest of Dim and back to Yami. _She entered the kitchen and paused, staring around her. _I'll really be back in Kraion with him and Shizuka and Jounouchi. It seems like forever since I've been home, but it wasn't completely unpleasant here..._

"Are you going to faint?" She jerked out of her thoughts and turned to see Bakura behind her, his expression blank. Anzu stared at him, perturbed by her thoughts. "Well?" he prodded, his eyebrows arching down in slight aggravation.

"No...I'm fine," she said quietly and turned away from him to approach the table and eat.

Breakfast was quiet. Seto seemed to be in his own world and was the first to leave the table to go upstairs to his room. Malik said little and his face seemed paler than usual, giving her the impression that he might be ill. The dark circles under his eyes indicated that he had not been sleeping well, either. Even his mood and level of energy was lower than usual. She did not ask him if anything was wrong, though, for it was clear that there was; she did not, however, feel that he would divulge his problems to her. After she ate and helped with the dishes, she settled in the den by herself. She sat by the fireplace where a low fire was crackling, absorbed in her thoughts.

_I'm going to miss this, _she realized, a bit confused by the sentiment. _I'm going to miss this close, family-like quality, even if they all have their own secrets they won't share. I'll even miss Bakura, for all his evil and horrible qualities. I don't know why. And after Malik asked me that...I don't even know what I feel for Yami now. I do love how he makes me feel, there's no doubt about that. But him? Do I love him? _What_, then do I love about him? I just don't know..._ Anzu looked up when she heard someone enter the room and saw that it was Bakura exiting the kitchen. "Bakura?"

He paused, slowing turning to look at her. He raised his eyebrows in question, seeming to be interested in why she wanted to speak with him. The look made her hesitate. "What, woman? Are you simply making sure that it's me or did you want to actually converse?" he demanded after the silence lengthened.

"I just...wanted to thank you," she said uncomfortably. "You could have locked me up or treated me worse than you have, but you treated me pretty decent. So, um...thank you."

Bakura eyed her, a slow, sly smile curling his lips upward. "I think you might be warming up to me, little princess," he commented before turning from her and continuing to his room. She stared after him, scowling angrily. Naturally, he had to ruin a perfectly respectable and polite moment. And she was feeling so generous towards him, too.

_But I don't want Yami to be hurt, _Anzu thought, continuing from her earlier thoughts. _No matter how much I like it here, I can't allow Bakura to harm Yami through me. If I don't love him, then I'll know in time. I _do_ want to see him, though, and Seto will help me go home. It'll be best for all of us. _

Anzu stood up and left the den to go upstairs. She knocked very softly on Seto's door and it swung open soundlessly. She entered and after she was in the room, the door shut behind her. Seto was at his desk and turned once the door was closed. She had the distinct feeling that he was inspecting her with his hard gaze. He sighed softly through his nose and she might not have noticed if the room wasn't so utterly silent. He turned away from her again, closing his eyes as though it pained him to look at her. She had a feeling it did. "Have you taken the last of your potion?" he asked in a low tone. "You're walking better."

"No...I planned on taking it after luncheon," she replied. She hesitated and then continued, "I know...it's none of my business what goes on around here, but – "

"Unless it concerns me, princess, I can't answer your questions. Bakura has told neither Malik nor myself his life outside of his studies of the Dark Arts. Malik? All you can get out of him is that he despises women. He wants nothing to do with them. He's having nightmares, but would refuse any help that we might offer. He wouldn't even admit that he was having nightmares if you asked him about it. With that said, go ahead with whatever it is you intended to say." The sarcastic look he directed towards her indicated that he doubted she would continue. However, even if she could not get that information out of him, she was still curious about his own behavior as of late.

"Alright. Then what about you, Seto? Why has your attitude become so horrible? I can understand Malik's if he truly is having nightmares, but what is your excuse?" He stared at her for a long time, with his usual impassive expression. Any other person might have been bothered or distressed with someone confronting them about such a thing, yet he acted as though they were discussing nothing more than the weather. The staring continued for far longer than she desired and her body began to tense. Her nerve broke and she averted her gaze to the ground.

"I assume this isn't why you're in here," he stated plainly when she dropped her eyes, a subtle acknowledgement of her defeat.

"No," Anzu agreed and after wetting her lips, raised her eyes to his face again, "that isn't."

"Let's go outside then," he suggested, rising to his feet. He moved to the door and ushered her through, following shortly afterward. They were silently as they traversed through the cottage to go outside. Even once they hit the cool, fresh air of the morning did they say nothing. Seto was occupied by thoughts that were echoing the earlier ones that Bakura had interrupted. Anzu's tactless prodding had recalled them to mind when he was trying so hard to forget things. "You told me that you received the best advice on relationships here. Have you ever wondered why that is?"

"Of course. But I doubt any of my theories are true."

"And I suspect that Malik has not confided anything in you?" he questioned, somewhat interested in the answer.

"No...Nothing. Why?"

"Because I feel that I am obligated to explain something to you," Seto told her, flicking a glance towards her almost dismissively. "Not only because you are in a complicated situation with the Prince of Kraion, but also because you have been more open with us than we have with you. Perhaps worse things have happened in our lives – I don't care to compare yours and our lives – but the fact remains that you deserve some hint as to why we are as we are. And maybe, once you return to Kraion, you can explain it to your prince and he will let us alone. Or, at least, let _me_ be."

_There goes his selfishness again, _Anzu thought irritably. "Very well, Seto, go ahead then since you feel indebted to me."

Ignoring her sarcastic jab, he said simply, "I was in love once." She blinked, shocked at the brief statement. "Her name was Kisara." He paused at the edge of the barrier around the cottage, causing Anzu to halt a few steps behind him. "I killed her...because of my selfishness that you have told me is so disagreeable on more than one occasion. She was a peasant girl, whereas I had status. Her parents were of Hoshäi descent and naturally, those in Kraion hate anyone related to that kingdom. She had been beaten up badly, so I took her into my home. I took care of her, as she had no one else. I loved her, more than I had loved anything in life. That is why I could speak with you about love, of relationships."

He paused to glance at her, to see her stunned face. "When I grew interested in the Dark Arts, she begged me to leave it alone, but I couldn't. They were forbidden and Yami...young, little Yami. He was a brat, even at a young age. He knew exactly what I was doing. He gave me dirty, insolent looks and once even told me that I was evil. Well...In any case...Kisara soon became involved by my doing. She would have done anything for me. I wish I could say the same of myself, but if that were true, I would have given up pursuing the Dark Arts. Instead, I asked her to become involved in some of my magic. I killed her."

"But...But how? Do you know...how?"

"Oh, not exactly," he said slowly, thoughtfully. "The room was hot, burning me with just the magic that was spitting everywhere. I could hear her screaming...somehow the magical currents were flowing inside her, burning her insides." He went silent for a moment, reliving the moment in his head. His hands clenched at his sides as his eyes clouded over with fierce anger. "I started screaming and tried to stop it...Nothing would help, though. I had to watch as her body absorbed all the currents and her face...her skin was becoming black, steaming from the magic inside of her. It was horrifying. After her death, I was fired from my position as court sorcerer and later was exiled from Kraion after they did a further investigation and concluded I had killed her."

"...How awful," Anzu whispered.

"I have never performed any of the Dark Arts after that. If I must harm a person, I will do it with swords, but never magic. I use my magic for healing only and defense." His stoic expression returned and she knew that he was finished. "I suppose I would not have told you this except the reason I wanted to help you leave tonight is because you remind me of her." He turned to face her and raised a hand, gesturing towards her face. "Your eyes. Her eyes were blue, just like yours are. The more I have to look at you, the more I have to be reminded of someone I can never seen again and that hurts me more than I would like to admit."

Anzu said nothing as he looked absently towards the forestry. It seemed to make sense that Seto had once loved a woman. He was the gentler of the three, if more ruder than they were. She knew now why it was though, and she could accept that part of his personality. Malik, she was sure, had a good excuse for his way of living, too. Hoshäi was not an easy place to live in, or so she'd heard. His nightmares, she gathered, were from something that had happened there. Bakura, on the other hand, was a completely different case. From what she could see, he did not suffer from any nightmares or regrets. He seemed totally at ease in his skin and where he was and what he had done in his lifetime; he was unbothered by it all. Anzu would always have sympathy for Seto and Malik. As for Bakura, she could only wonder as to why he acted the way he did. He was a mystery, without really acting like one. He made everything so blunt, with no hidden meanings.

_But I am not warming up to him, _she thought, still annoyed with the comment he had thrown at her. _I just want to understand everything and make things better. I guess it's time for me to realize that I can't. And I likely won't ever be able to solve _everyone's_ problems. I can't even solve my own..._

"Enough of that," Seto abruptly said, as if waking from a distant dream. "We must plan for tonight. Bakura is oblivious and Malik is too distraught with lack of sleep to worry about either of us. It should be fairly easy to get you out of here."

"Oh, I do hope so," Anzu responded, smiling. "I miss Kraion." Her smile faded and her brow puckered. "I will kind of miss here, too, once I'm gone."

"Save your sentimentalities, princess. It's not worth putting into words."

X

The castle was silent, a calming silent that could soothe any soul. It was late afternoon and most of the castle's inhabitants had settled down for a break before dinner came. The one exception to that was the Prince Otogi, who was restlessly striding up and down various corridors. His mind could not stop moving and even the companionship of the darling Shizuka could not distract him. He needed to be alone to his thoughts and walking around as he was managed to keep others away from him rather nicely. His brooding expression assisted in that area as well.

Releasing an agitated sigh, he swept down yet another corridor and stopped at a window, slamming his palms against the glass. A ripple of vibrations shook the decorated glass. He disregarded it and stared out at the cheerful scenery. He had never cared for Kraion, let alone the people in it. Those of Siruean descent were relatively safe so long as they converted to the beliefs and customs of Kraion. The Hoshäi people, however, were not all safe in this kingdom. Otogi rather admired Hoshäi. He did not agree with them about the Dark Arts, yet the idea of only the strong surviving followed his own ideas. His sister was strong – or as strong as she could be without magic – and father was strong, too. Otogi flattered himself in believing that he might be strong. But this was all relative. Compared to those in Hoshäi, he was sure they were all weak.

_It's frustrating, _he thought, curling his fingers into fists. _I hate not being able to do anything...I can't do anything for Anzu right now. And it's not just me. I can see that Yami is experiencing a similar frustration. Everyone is holding us back because we're princes. The only reason I am allowed to go in with Isis is because I have magic otherwise I would be as stuck as him. She doesn't even care about Anzu...I suppose I don't blame her. I would manipulate my way into a situation in order to get to my sister, just as she is doing for her brother. Still...I hate not being able to do anything. _He slumped against the window and pressed his forehead against the cool glass. _I hate that Anzu was put into this situation at all. How terrible it must be for her...How confused she must have been. I wonder if she is well. Oh, I hope she is not being mistreated by that damned sorcerer, Bakura. _

Otogi sighed and pushed away from the window irritably. He frowned when he saw Yami crossing the grass towards the gardens. _I wonder where he is going?_

The Prince of Kraion was, after experiencing a particularly nagging feeling in his stomach, going to visit his sister in the royal suite. Frankly, he had no desire to exchange banter with her at the moment, but he had an uncomfortable feeling that told him something was wrong. Yami knew that she would not have cared if he got so sick he was near death. No matter how much she loathed him or how much he disliked her, she was still his sister. _I have an obligation,_ he told himself. _She has nobody out here to help her and is completely alone. It's not safe. Anyone could get through those part of the gardens undetected. _

Once he arrived at the royal suite, he stood a moment to survey it. The last time he had been here was when his mother was alive. After her death, it was no longer used and literally abandoned. Yami gave a vague smile as he recalled how she would move them here in the summer. Those were young days when he could sprawl in the grass with no worries at all. The sun would beat down on his face and his hot feet would bury in the cool blades of grass. Jounouchi would usually be with him and they would tear through the gardens like only boys could, raising their voices to each other and squealing with laughter. And afterward, even though Jounouchi was a servant boy, his mother would have them served lemonade. Yami's smile slipped from his lips as he realized that Mai had never been invited to these outings – it had always been him.

Feeling guilty for something that had never really been in his control, he continued to the door of the royal suite, rubbing the back of his neck. He paused in front of the door and said nothing for a moment, simply gazing at the door. After a moment, he looked away, his forehead wrinkling with his worried thoughts, this time of his sister rather than his fiancée. _Why did I never think about the reasons for Mai's hatred of me? _he wondered, disgusted with himself. _If I had, I would have known this beforehand. _It had never occurred to him that his parents were mistreating Mai. She had always been given the best of things. Now that he thought of it, he had only been the one presented with gifts; his parents had simply given Mai what she wanted, an entirely different thing altogether. He sighed, sliding his hand from his neck to his collarbone and then dropping his hand. _It would be easier to face her while pretending to hate her. _

Turning back to the door, he knocked on it and waited patiently. There were no sounds from inside, not even the footsteps of a person approaching. He leaned away and stepped around to look at the windows. The curtains were drawn and from what he could see, it was dark inside. Frowning, he pulled away and called, "Mai?" There was no answer. Returning to the door, he knocked again, calling her name a second time. The door swept open abruptly, startling him. A cloaked figure stood in the doorway. He gasped and stepped away hastily, clapping a hand over his nose and mouth as he gagged. _What's that awful smell? It smells like someone is rotting!_

"Go, the princess wishes to be alone," the figure growled out to him. Yami stared at it, horrified. He choked as a draft of the foul-smelling air blew towards him as the figure moved. "_Go_, Prince Yami. She needs rest. This life has drawn her down." Yami paused, pressing his hand closer, and looking up curiously at the figure. It sounded like a man and by the sadness in his voice, he suspected that this man might be in love with his sister. He felt a bit of sympathy for him, yet felt that there might be something here if the man was still here and Mai was not present. "I will care for her."

"What...What is that dreadful smell?" Yami asked hesitantly. The stranger tilted his head and seemed to listen for something.

"What smell?" he asked instead and then shut the door.

Yami stood for a moment, unsure of whether he should insist to see Mai or not. Deciding it was best she not see him, he stumbled away from the royal suite and heaved in deep breaths as soon as he was far enough to smell only fresh air. He breathed in deeply and after sending a glance over his shoulder towards the suite, he left the gardens. Once he had exited them, he considered over what had just happened that he wasn't analyzing closely enough. _She must be sick again, _he thought, recalling when he had looked in on at her when she was sick last time. The same smell had been there, but not nearly as strong. _What in heaven's name could be wrong with her...?_ He turned slightly towards the gardens, shivering as if a spirit had passed through him. There was something ominous about Mai's sickness...Something that he did not understand. When he turned back to face the castle, he jumped a bit at seeing Isis standing beside him.

"Is there something in there?" she asked him, ignoring his rather undignified behavior.

"Of course," Yami replied in some surprise. "My sister is living in the royal suite. It's encompassed by the entire garden. I believe she has a guest, there, as well..." He trailed off as he said this and then shook his head, continuing, "Is there some reason you wished to know?"

"It is nothing," Isis vaguely said, turning her eyes from the garden. "I would like to set out in the Forest of Dim tomorrow, if that is possible. I have already spoken to the Prince of Siruean. He does not mind the idea in the least. He is as eager to see his sister as I am to see my brother. I felt I should tell you, as you can provide us with the necessary supplies while being in the forest."

"Oh. Yes, I will send an order out immediately so that you two can leave as soon as possible tomorrow." He paused, hesitating. "Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"What will you do when you meet Malik and the other sorcerers? Did you intend on bringing them back here?"

"No," she answered quietly, "I have no intention to bring them here for judgment. They did not kidnap the princess, my prince, something I feel that you know as well as myself. If she is with them, they have helped her survive in the forest." Isis turned to leave, slanting a look over her shoulder as she said, "I would think they deserve an award for that."

Yami watched her walk from him, a swift, graceful walk that he admired. In the back of his mind, he wondered why he could not see the sorcerers as Isis saw them. However, as Bakura's face flashed in his head, he knew the answer before he pondered the question much farther.

X

Bakura could hear the soft sounds of night around the cottage. Somewhere, crickets were chirping in the tall grass. He suspected that there might be one in her room with as loud as it sounded. The cottage was silent, with no sound of movement anywhere. It was deceptively peaceful. Unbeknownst to any of the other occupants of the cottage, Bakura had not only been working on his own devices in order to get to Mai. No matter what he did, she was strictly protected, either from her own magic or another's. Some of it felt like hers when he encountered it, but some felt warped, with only the slightest taste of Mai's. That had worried him. His own paranoid mind set him on another project entirely that took a lot out of him. However, it was worth it; he received a satisfying result. After much hard work on his part, he had created an oval piece of glass that stood on stone levers. It gave him a view of outside the cottage and he could hear any conversation he wished. It was made as a precaution against any intruders, as only animals were rejected from the cottage's area, and was also made so that he could keep an eye on Seto and the princess.

_It's a pity, _he mused, glancing at the glass structure. _Seto is so intelligent but too arrogant for his own good. _A smirk lit up his features as the shadows outside suddenly shifted. _I wouldn't have to deal with his matter at all if he wasn't trying to ruin my plans. I need to get rid of Mai and Yami so that Kraion is mine. I'm sure Seto doesn't care what I do – he merely inadvertently got himself involved with something that does not concern him. There is likely something else that is motivating him, other than his selfish desire to keep people away from the cottage. _

Bakura rose to his feet from behind his desk and took his cloak from the back of his divan, throwing it around his shoulders and clasping it as his throat. He took another glance at the glass. Seto and Anzu were moving faster than he had expected. _Ah, if there was an easier way of taking care of this, I would not bother. The princess aggravates me most of the time anyway. _His chuckled aloud to himself. _But then, she is beginning to like me. It will be too easy to manipulate her, although this will put me back a step._

Anzu and Seto, meanwhile, were hastening through the forest. She had to keep a hold on his arms so that they could flit through the forest by magic rather than troop through it on foot. The feeling was unsettling. Everything blurred, as if they were a tiny particle that was speeding through the forest. The sight of it made her stomach churn, so she eventually kept her eyes closed. They came a few yards from the end of the forest and she felt her body come to a halt. She pushed away from Seto and stumbled to a tree, heaving what little she had in her stomach. She felt him approach her from behind and push her hair from her face. Grateful, but feeling embarrassed that he was watching her be sick, she knelt, shaking, with one hand on the tree. "It affects you that way the first time," he told her plainly.

"Thank you for the late warning," she muttered, rising to her feet slowly. Her stomach had not yet settled, so she stood leaning against the tree for a moment so she would not have to vomit again. Wiping her mouth with the edge of her cloak, she waved a hand to show that she was better. Seto moved ahead of her and her eyes drifted down to the sword that was held in a scabbard at his waist. She wondered what he thought he would need that for and then had to remind herself that he did not fight with magic any longer.

As they walked, Anzu felt a prickling at the back of her neck, giving her the uncomfortable sensation of somebody watching her. She turned her head once to peer behind her and saw nothing but darkness and the outlines of trees and bushes. There were no sounds but their footsteps, with the occasional hoot of an owl or squeak of a bat flying above them. There were crickets chirping all around them. If someone had followed them from the cottage, they still would have heard them. Despite rationalizing all this in her brain, she stepped a bit closer to Seto. It was comforting to feel another human's body heat.

"There is the break in the trees," Seto spoke after they had been walking for about twenty to thirty minutes. Anzu still had the uneasy feeling of someone watching them and merely nodded. "Once you get there, you'll be able to walk across the glade to Kraion."

"Well, I'm not sure about that, Seto," a soft, familiar hoarse voice rose from the darkness. Seto slowly rotated to face their visitor, his eyes narrowing. Bakura pulled his cloak's hood from his face and sighed. "I wouldn't care if you returned the brat back to her idiot fiancé, but I _do_ have plans with her and frankly, you're meddling in them." He looked thoughtful for a moment and then grinned. "I assume you thought I was completely unaware. For awhile, I was, but you forget who created the cottage and who has more superior knowledge in the Dark Arts than you. Now, Seto, what would you like to do? Would you like to try and distract me so that she can run or just give this thing up while you can? I don't mind either option, really."

Seto reminded silent, the tightening of his jaw the only sign that he had even heard what Bakura said. Instead of him responding, though, it was Anzu. She grasped the sword in Seto's scabbard and pulled it out, pointing it towards Bakura. He raised his eyebrows mildly, seeming to be entertained by her offensive position. "I'm going home, Bakura. I don't give a damn about your plans!" She glared at him warningly. He eyed her thoughtfully and then dropped his gaze to the sword.

"Put it down," Bakura told her.

"No."

He sighed. "Anzu, put down the sword. It's not a toy to be waved around."

She was briefly distracted by his calling her by her name and then lifted the sword in a high arc, aiming for him. He moved aside in time and glowered. "I know how to operate a sword just as well as you or any other man does. Don't treat me like an idiot, Bakura, because that's the last thing that I am."

"So you can use a sword," Bakura said flippantly, "but can you use it well enough to take care of me?"

"I'm going home," she stubbornly told him and broke into a run. Bakura was right behind her, but before either of them could get to the break in the trees, they were violently thrown to the ground. The sword flew out of her hands and skittered along the ground, hitting a tree trunk and becoming still. Seto, who had said nothing and did nothing while Bakura and Anzu had argued, stepped past them and came to a stop, raising his hands. It looked as though his hands were resting upon air. He released a small burst of magic that lit up what appeared to be an invisible wall. Anzu struggled to sit up after her body recovered from the abrupt blow. Bakura rose to his feet before her and stared at the wall that was slowly fading. He glanced down at her and scowled, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet. "What is that?" she whispered.

"A barrier," Seto responded, throwing a look to them over his shoulder, "and a strong one."

"Strong enough to keep all of us in," Bakura added, moving so that he was standing beside Seto. He put a hand on the barrier and repeated what Seto had only done a moment ago. The barrier lit up again and Anzu took the time to inspect it. It was thicker than she had originally imagined. The sight of it made her tremble with sudden fear. There were dark electrical currents that fluttered through it. Both sorcerers saw it and removed their hands.

"And...that? What is that?" Anzu asked them. Seto seemed to have no answer, looking to Bakura. The latter sorcerer sent another burst of magic to light the barrier up a third time. Anzu could not keep her eyes from the dark currents, morbidly fascinated with them. The more she saw them, the more she shook. Bakura turned away from the barrier and saw her round eyes fixed on the barrier.

"Dark magic," he shortly replied, removing his cloak and wrapping it around her. "Take her back to the cottage, Seto, and wake Malik. I want him here to see this. He'll probably be awake anyway." He pushed her into Seto's arms. Anzu struggled to turn and look at Bakura. There was a hard, grave look on his face that she could not recall ever seeing before. And in his eyes she could see a worry, not only for himself, but for all of their lives.

X

DIS: I'm not sure why, but I really liked this chapter. After I got done with the first – oh, I don't know – eight to ten pages, the writing went faster. Nonetheless, I do apologize for the two month wait. Honestly, this story isn't high on my list of priorities. Besides that, as I said, those first pages were hard to get started on. It should go faster from now on, especially the romance. I'm excited for that. I actually have this wonderful, horrible idea that I want to get going. (Yeah, I used an oxymoron, lol.) Also, I expect that there will be several grammar/spelling errors and/or typos because I didn't edit this. I will, however, edit it and repost later. Anyyyyway... Please review telling me what you liked, disliked, or just how you felt about this chapter. Ciao!


	10. Chapter Ten

DIS: Ohhh, wow...So, the last time I updated was in August. U_U I am really sorry for having not updated sooner. Needless to say, I had a busy end of the summer. I was rarely ever home except for sleep and then school came and needless to say, writing wasn't on my list of things that needed to be done. In any case, thank you to **everyone** who reviewed and has waited patiently for this chapter!!!

X

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Ten_

Malik woke up bleary-eyed and confused. He put a hand up to shield his eyes from the candle Seto thrust into his face. For a moment, he did not recognize Seto and thought he was still dreaming and in Hoshäi. But a second look around him corrected his initial deduction. He had been in a light sleep, though light enough for dreams to come upon him. He could feel his body weigh heavy from lack of sleep. He was only surviving on the bits of nightmarish sleep he caught at night and the rejuvenating potion that he had only recent made for Bakura and was now making for himself. "Get up," Seto's cold voice snapped at him. "There is an issue that needs to be resolved."

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Malik spat in return, shoving a hand out towards the candle. "Get that fucking thing away from my face, damn it!" Seto obliged him, more as so Malik wasn't able to spill hot wax on both of them than at his rude request. Malik rubbed his face briskly with both hands and then dragged them through his mussed, long dishwater blonde hair. After a moment in which he sat in bed with his hands in his hair, he sighed and mumbled, "What issue is it that we are experiencing?" He lowered his hands and turned his tired gaze to Seto.

"Bakura wants to see you at the edge of the woods, right before the trees part out into the glade. He'll explain it to you. Hurry up. It's important." Seto turned slightly and extended a hand towards the fireplace. The fire lifted from beneath the broken logs, crackling and filling the room with light. Satisfied, he left the room and shut the door quietly behind him. Malik sat in bed, naked to his waist, and after heaving another sigh, he climbed out of bed and began to search for clothing. After dressing in warm clothes, he grabbed his cloak and silently traversed through the cottage and outside. Throwing the cloak around himself, he disappeared and in a matter of minutes was beside Bakura.

"You took a little longer than I expected," Bakura remarked in a soft voice, staring ahead of him with a distant expression. "Did you manage to get some sleep?"

"A bit," was Malik's short response. Bakura nodded and turned his head towards him, inwardly surprised that he had allowed him that much information. Malik ignored the look. Although he and Bakura were closer than Seto would be ever be with either of them, they still knew very little about each other, just as they knew near to nothing about Seto's own circumstances. Bakura had not even heard Seto's story about Kisara when he spoke to Anzu, his busy brain only picking up the details of their escape plan. It was a pity, too, but lucky in Seto's case; that information would only be brought up time and time again to torture his already suffering soul. "What is it that was so important that I had to come all the way out here in the middle of the bleeding night?" Malik flashed a wary look around him, searching for signs of some disturbance. Bakura shook his head, indicating that he was looking in all the wrong places. Malik frowned, standing next to Bakura and then following Bakura's gaze. "What? Somebody _else_ manage to get to the cottage from Kraion?"

"If only we were so lucky. Walk towards the glade, Malik." He inclined his head towards the trees and then folded his arms over his chest. Malik sent him a suspicious look and then stepped forward. It was unlike Bakura to play games with him, especially so late in the night. Sighing patiently through his nostrils, he stepped forward a few feet and then a small shock to his body made him draw away in surprise. He pushed his hands out and spread them out onto the invisible barrier. "Somebody put a barrier up to keep us in. I've been analyzing it for the past few minutes. I doubt that Seto or I could get through it. It doesn't seem to affect the animals...Just humans."

"Really?" Malik murmured absently, placing his hands upon the barrier. "How interesting..." He released a small bit of power and the barrier lit up. He watched the play of violet, almost navy blue play throughout the barrier. He splayed his hands upon the barrier and then tilted his head, as if he were listening for something. "No...," he said suddenly after he remained in that position for some time, even after the barrier had faded once again. "No, I don't think either of you could. I question my own abilities in regards to this." He lifted his hands so only his fingertips touched it. "Come here and hit the barrier, will you?" Bakura obliged him, smacking the barrier with the palm of his head. Malik's eyes narrowed and his eyes moved to the side and then up. He was listening again and a few minutes passed before he lowered his hands and rubbed his forehead with a fist. "This barrier is encompassing our cottage. It's not the entire forest, but a very specific section."

"How far does it spread from our cottage?"

"About the same measurement all around," Malik answered, shrugging as though unbothered. "Somebody clearly did not want us to leave the forest. But..." He glanced towards the barrier uneasily. "We have been hoping that Mai is responsible for all this unexplained magic. Before this, I would have put money on it. But now? I can't be sure. This didn't feel like any magic, any...Dark Arts that _she _could have acquired. It's too deep. Too strong. Even if you couldn't have gotten through, _I_ would have. I've been practicing the Dark Arts since I was a child. No matter how long she's studied, no matter how much she's worked for what she has, she would never be as good as me. No...This is someone else's doing. You're more infamous around here than I am and I doubt anyone gives a shit about Seto – do you have any other enemies?"

"Everyone hates me," Bakura stated simply, "but if there were someone this strong in Kraion that held an aversion for me, I would have known. I kept up with that, even after I retreated into the Forest of Dim."

"What about Anzu?" he quietly asked. "Do you suppose that she – "

"Don't be stupid, Malik," he snorted. "People probably bow down to kiss her shadow when she walks by. The barrier...I can sense a bit of Mai's magic in it – just enough – but there is something overshadowing it." He put his hands on it and then met Malik's gaze. "I've been trying to break through to her, but she had so many shields around her, some of them not even ones that she put up. She has a djinn, as well. As far as I could tell, he's not powerful enough to do something like this." He turned from him and dropped his hands. "I don't like this one bit."

"This is going to become problematic, Bakura, you know that. That princess is bound to notice something and will become even more antsy than she has been."

"She already knows of the barrier. She and I are the ones that ran headlong into it." He turned around completely and once again folded his arms over his chest. "Seto helped her escape tonight. If I hadn't set up a glass so that I could see and listen to the conversations outside the cottage I wouldn't have known about it. If that barrier hadn't been here, she would have succeeded. The girl knows where her allies lie and Seto seems willing enough to help her. She's smart, as much as I hate to admit it."

"That traitor...," Malik hissed beneath his breath.

"What did you expect, Malik? He feels no love for us." Bakura turned his eyes towards the cottage. "He feels some kindness towards her."

"I'm staying here for a bit longer," Malik abruptly said. "I want to see what I can figure out."

Bakura nodded and walked from the barrier, leaving him alone. He briefly reconsidered and turned, saying, "Face your nightmares, Malik. If you keep running from them, you'll never sleep again in your life." Malik whipped around furiously, ready to tell Bakura to keep out of his business, but Bakura had turned around. The last words he said before disappearing were, "Take my advice – I know." Malik stared after him, his anger draining from his body. It was the first hint that Bakura had ever thrown out about his previous life before the Forest of Dim, the slightest hint that at some point, Bakura had suffered from nightmares. What nightmares, he was unsure of, but for some reason it had calmed him somewhat.

Looking towards the barrier only released a new set of worries.

X

Anzu lay shivering in her bed. She was still clothed, both her own and Bakura's cloak covering her. Seto had graciously lit the fire in the hearth for her, yet no amount of warmth could stop her shivering. Her hands were cold and felt dry, the skin stretched taut over her bones. There was sweat on her face from the heat, her face itself being cool to the touch. She was frightened. There was no better term for it. Anzu could not recall being quite so afraid as she was now. Someone was watching them, there was no doubt in her mind about that. Why else would someone raise a barrier? She hugged the cloaks to her more securely and a pathetic noise rose in her throat. How long had their eyes been on them? What other powers did they have that could make even people like Seto, who never worried about anything, suddenly cautious? Who could possibly be so powerful to make Bakura get such a foreign, anxious expression on his face? Who could wipe out his cocky, smirking expression so quickly?

And who could bring a strong princess to such a trembling mess?

Anzu heard the door open and close. Her eyes widened and then she clenched them closed, quivering even more. She was sure that the entire bed was rocking from the movement. An irritated sigh sounded above the crackling of the fire and the blankets were jerked off her. "Get out from underneath there, girl," Bakura's rough voice snapped out. She hesitantly pulled the cloaks off of her head to face him. His mouth pursed. She knew how awful she looked with her pale, sweaty face. He turned away from her and his eyes darted around the room in search of something. He stood up and moved towards the bath tub and picked up a towel, returning to her a moment later. She pulled away as he moved closer. Scowling, he said, "Stay still!" and wiped her face. "You act as though there is someone prowling the house after you." She stiffened, which caused him to send her an exasperated, "Be serious," look.

"Bakura," she grabbed his wrist suddenly, not entirely aware of the action, "don't...don't try and act like nothing's wrong. You're worried. So is Seto. Please, I – I know I can't help you much, but don't keep me in the dark about things, especially this!" He jerked his wrist out of her grasp and violently tossed the towel on the bed, causing her some alarm.

"You want me to keep you _informed_ about what's going on?" he spat caustically. "Just look at yourself! You're a wreck and all you did is get thrown to the ground and see a few currents in the barrier. You want me to be honest and tell you everything? Girl, you couldn't handle it and I think we both know that. I'm not going to show you any sympathy because you got what you deserved – you went running off into the forest to get back to your damned prince when you were warned not to do so. But, I am not going to do as you ask, either, because you would be putting a knife to your throat ten minutes later."

"How can you say such a thing?" Anzu cried, scrambling out of bed to face him. She was no longer trembling, too outraged at his words to even bother considering over why she had been afraid a moment ago. "How can you be so heartless? I'm stuck here with you three and you won't even treat me decently! You give me food, water, and somewhere to sleep! What's the good in that? What kind of life is this? And will you STOP calling me 'girl'!! I have a name, just like you or Malik do, so would you _please_ just call me by my name rather than demeaning me, like I'm inferior than you?"

"Have you forgotten that you _are_ inferior than me?" he sneered. "And at least you have a life rather than alternative."

"Oh, what a life this is!" she snapped, abruptly enraged and close to screaming. "Cooped up in a tiny little house with three men that don't even give a _damn _about me, what a great life I have! Death would be preferable to this and I'm not being funny when I say that!" They glared hatefully at each other and Bakura might have given her the preference of death if the door hadn't swung open just then. They both turned their attention to see who was there and said nothing to Seto, who stood silently in the doorway. His expression was devoid of any emotion, his taut mouth the only indication that he was annoyed with their raised voices.

"I'm not interested in hearing either of your little dramas," Seto told them with deliberate calm.

"I'm not interested in your fucking opinion!" Bakura snapped, having lost what little control he had regained since speaking with Malik. "You're only another one of my problems, so go occupy yourself elsewhere."

"I was trying to occupy myself," he said frostily, his eyes narrowing into a dark glare, "but you chose to interrupt me with your loud mouth."

The room was tense. Anzu was waiting to start screaming at Bakura again, knowing that he would say something even more offensive to her. Bakura, she saw, seemed to be debating on who he wanted to deal with first. Seto was simply waiting for some kind of indication on whether he was about to become involved in an unpleasant verbal fight. Nobody spoke, each of them looking from one to the other. At last, Bakura seemed to shake himself of his temper and thrust a hand towards Anzu, his fingers spread out commandingly. She glared at it in question and then recalled his cloak. Keeping her eyes on him, she moved to the bed and snatched his up and tossed it towards him, stepping back to stare at him in much the same way that Seto was.

"You should browse your memories to see if you can remember what it was that I said I was going to do to you if you tried escaping again," Bakura advised, an evil smirk lighting his features. She bristled, but was not given a chance for a rebuttal as he shoved past Seto in the doorway and left. Seto glanced at Anzu, as if to ask if she were okay and, seeming satisfied, he, too, left the room. After the door shut, Anzu collapsed on the floor and sobbed full, angry tears.

_Why can't anyone just be honest with me about things?_ she demanded in her mind. _Just because I'm a female doesn't mean I'm stupid or weak! So what if I had a brief moment of fear, Bakura, so what?!!_

Bakura, on the other hand, had relieved himself of his anger from the encounter. He had moved downstairs and lit up the fire to the den to warm the house and after lighting a candle, settled himself at the table in the kitchen. He didn't want to be in his study, nor his rooms at the moment. He, like Seto, did not want to deal with her drama at the moment. However, he could feel no anger for her. Her reaction was logical enough, what with her rather sheltered life. She had not been in Kraion when he was court sorcerer and so knew very little about magic; nonetheless, she had felt the danger when looking at that barrier. Bakura was accustomed to danger and so were the other males. Anzu's interactions with danger had only begun when she found herself in the Forest of Dim.

_Damn this girl, _he thought irritably, shoving a hand through his hair and rubbing his skull where a dull migraine was beginning. _I don't have time to protect some naïve princess. Clearly, though, we're going to have to educate her on some manners so she doesn't overreact the way she did. _Another light shone on him from above him and he glanced to see Seto standing in the doorway. For a moment, they stared at each other and then Seto entered the kitchen. "Malik is at the barrier, inspecting it," he told him in a level tone.

"That would be a wise decision," Seto said mildly, "except that the barrier is more of a defense mechanism and he can do nothing when it comes to defense."

"He might not be able to do nothing, but he knows practically everything about the Dark Arts and as you saw, there is a good deal of dark energy in there." Seto chose not to respond immediately and in that time, Bakura turned his head and surveyed him with a narrow-eyed gaze. "What was your reason for helping her escape, Seto? Did you feel bad for her or did you just feel like pissing me off?" Seto's cold eyes stared back at him and he said nothing. Giving his eyes an aggravated roll, he blew out his candle and stood up, preparing to leave. As he passed Seto, however, the latter male finally spoke.

"Everyone in this cottage has lost something in their life, Bakura, even the princess." Bakura paused, not bothering to turn to look at him. "Have you considered that might be what motivates us rather than the hatred and revenge that you seek so greedily?" There was a strange note in Seto's voice that Bakura had never heard. Seto was fairly good at keeping emotions out of his voice. He turned his head slightly, his mouth thinning as an irrational fury rose up in his throat. Choking it down, he continued walking. "Or," Seto's sarcastic voice followed him, "are you just like us?"

For once, it was Bakura who did not answer.

X

Isis stopped Maelstrom in the middle of the glade and pivoted him around as Otogi and Yami came up to them. Jounouchi was riding behind Yami and Shizuka behind Otogi. It was agreed that they should not ride their horses through the forest because of the violent animals. There was a reluctant look on Otogi's face as they came up to her, which only showed how much he did not want to work with Isis in this. Of course, Isis did not blame him, though if he was uncooperative, they would never be able to find his sister. _He will end up getting himself killed, _she thought. _He doesn't have enough magical training, whether it be the basic Arts or the Dark Arts. _

She slipped off her horse as the others did. Jounouchi took Otogi's horse and Shizuka smiled as she drew forward, guiding Maelstrom back. They lingered behind with the animals while Yami and Otogi stepped closer to Isis. "I hope that things go well for both of you," Yami said, his sad eyes turning from Otogi to Isis. "Avoid conflict with Bakura and the others at all costs. If Anzu is not there, then come back. Your safety is your primary concern." Otogi sent him a resentful look to which Yami shook his head. "No, Otogi. I love Anzu, but I cannot afford to lose either of you, both because of politics and because we have already lost far too many humans in the Forest of Dim."

"I would die for my sister," Otogi snarled.

"And I would die for my little brother," Isis added quietly. She felt sympathetic towards Yami and especially his position. His father was practically incapacitated and if any political crisis did happen, he was the one responsible for it. By the looks his close friend, Jounouchi, had been giving him, his face did not always look so weary and depressed. Her eyes drifted towards the blonde servant who was peering at them with a frown on his lips, as if he could see Yami's expression from his position. She had spoken to Jounouchi and he explained that Anzu had been the one to ease all of Yami's troubles, to be his crutch when he was limping after coming from the battlefield. No matter what was happening, he could smile afterward as long as Anzu was there for him. Isis could not recall seeing Yami give a genuine smile in her time being in Kraion. It seemed that there was always some worry on his mind. "Prince," she said, stepping closer to Yami and putting her hands on his cheeks. He blinked in surprise. "If I die, I will rise as a spirit and deliver your fiancée to you. Your friends and your people want to see you smile yet again and I shall endeavor to do everything in my power to make it so that they are reassured."

"...Thank you," Yami said, removing her hands from his cheeks and clasping them for a moment. He smiled and it transformed his exhausted exterior, startling her. "If the world was kind, I would be able to smile all the time, but I take the small bits of kindness that people offer me." He released her hands and after nodding to Otogi, stepped away. "Good luck."

"And good luck to you, my prince," Isis said and turned towards the Forest of Dim. Otogi matched her quick, even pace and as they came to the trees, she queried, "Are you ready, my lord?"

"Completely ready," he answered grimly. She nodded and they passed through the trees and through the invisible barrier.

X

Anzu woke with an ache in her back and knees. When she rose up, her cheek tingled from numbness. She had fallen asleep on her floor in an awkward position. As she straightened, she stretched, wincing as her back popped. She fell back and stretched her legs before getting to her feet. She was a mess from her hysterics last night and her gown was wrinkled from sleeping on the floor. She stumbled across the room and intended to simply change into something else when she saw that someone had filled the bathtub with water. She stripped and stepped into the warm water, thankful for the cleansing feeling it gave her. She closed her eyes and slid down into the water, holding her breath for as long as she could, allowing it to ease some of the puffiness out of her skin.

When she resurfaced, she sighed and then scrubbed at her hair, face, and body. Once she was glowing pink and the sweat and dirt seemed to be off her, she stepped out of the tub, dried, and dressed. She rubbed at her hair with a towel and after it was mostly dry, she left her room. Downstairs someone was talking and by the smooth, liquid manner of the voice, she suspected it must be Malik. She quickened her step, recalling that Seto had told her he was going to wake Malik to have him check out the barrier last night. She emerged in the doorway and Malik paused in speaking, turning to look at her curiously. She glared at him warningly, which only made him raise his eyebrows.

"Sit down," Bakura ordered from his position by the bookshelf. His eyes were dark, full of angry emotions that caused her some alarm. "You wanted to be informed, didn't you? Well, sit your ass down and don't interrupt." Malik's eyes drifted from Anzu to him in question, but Bakura didn't even bother looking at him, keeping his gaze on her. Because Malik seemed confused and Bakura in a bad mood, she took a seat by Seto on the divan. Seto glanced at her in acknowledgement.

"In any case...," Malik slowly continued, "no magic that we can perform is going to pierce the barrier. As I said, I've tried every tactic there is. I know both the Arts and the Dark Arts and no offensive spell is able to lay it down. Most of the magic I have learned in Hoshäi has been passed through the ages. We know any new spells, but we also know nearly all of the ancient magic, too." Malik was situated by the fireplace, which had a low, calm fire crackling. One of his arms was resting on the mantle. He drummed his fingers along the stone and then said, "We're literally trapped here. It doesn't really matter since we've rarely ever left the Forest of Dim. There are still so many unknowns about this barrier of ours. Mai definitely had something to do with it – Bakura could sense some of her magic – but overall, there is a higher, darker power behind this. To be honest..." Malik looked to Bakura, frowning. "...I think that Mai might be manipulated by someone. She may not even know it."

Bakura, leaning against the bookshelf with his arms folded over his chest, appeared unwilling to offer any information or feedback. His dark expression only made him seem more foreboding. Anzu shrank against the back of the divan a bit. He had become the embodiment of the monster Kraion and Yami had spoken about. When she looked up at Seto, his eyes were trained on Bakura.

Bakura sighed, closing his eyes briefly in annoyance. "If that happens to be the case, we can safely assume that there are other things happening from that darker power."

"Such as the animals?" Anzu questioned hesitantly.

"Yes," he replied, barely looking at her, "but that only raises more questions that I'm not interested in answering at the moment. Our first priority is the barrier." Anzu opened her mouth to disagree and then thought better of it. She felt as if she had been cowed into submission by a mere look. She had always known there was a dark side to Bakura, but she had never really been as frightened of him before as she was now. "Once we manage to finish with the barrier, then we can focus on other problems, those being mainly Mai. All of this is centering around her. This will also mean that we will have to leave the Forest of Dim and enter Kraion."

"You can't enter Kraion," Seto bluntly stated. "The entire city will fall down on you in waves of humans. You won't get through that place in one piece and you're a fool if you think that you have the power to do so."

"Nobody said I was going to be open about it. You forget that I was court sorcerer and endeavored to find ways in and out of the city all the time. I know ways of getting through Kraion without being seen. This, too, is not something I deem worthy of worrying about at the present. I am more concerned with the barrier than that. I simply telling you what it is that we will have to do. Although I would prefer one of you to stay and keep the girl here, I can't do that as Seto is likely to go traipsing into the city with her in his arms, offering her as a gift to the prince and I need Malik with me." He paused for a moment. "But again, I can deal with that issue when we come upon it. For now, let us concentrate on the barrier. We will have to exercise all our powers to try and figure out a way through it. Or around it, if need be."

"The barrier likely penetrates the earth," Malik said with a small sigh. "If it's that strong, it's sure to go straight down."

"I don't plan on being stuck in this damned forest my entire life," Bakura snapped. "If I have to kill myself getting rid of that barrier, then I will, so long as it is gone and someone is given the chance to destroy that bitch apprentice of mine."

He pushed off the bookshelf and left the room, abruptly ending the conversation. Anzu kept her eyes trained on the ground, listening as he briskly walked to his chambers. There was a long silence after he left, the fire being the only sound in the room. She felt as if she were completely alone, with no one but herself in the cottage and that dark attitude of Bakura's. Neither Malik nor Seto seemed to desire any conversation and Anzu, frankly, did not want to hear any words being spoken at the present time. Whereas Seto was serious and logical and Malik seemed to be fairly troubled by his own thoughts, Bakura had always seemed the most carefree out of them all. Malik took the position of command more so than Bakura or Seto ever did. Today, however, she understood which of them was in control in the cottage. The deliberate way in which both Malik and Seto spoke made it clear that neither were willing to upset Bakura; simply the way Bakura had been speaking spoke volumes.

He truly was the one who would decide her fate.

The thought made her tremble. She had never been quite so frightened of a person before in her life. It seemed ridiculous to be so, yet at the same time she could not get the look on Bakura's face from her mind: deep, angry, and possessive. Somebody had torn his carefully laid plans apart and had upset his comfortable living situation in the forest and he was furious.

"Don't," Malik suddenly spoke from the fireplace. Anzu raised her head, startled by the break in silence. His eyes were pinned on her, a level expression on his face. "Don't get frightened. It will do you no good right now, princess." He turned his gaze to the fireplace where it crackled quietly. "You've been protected all your life – anyone in royalty has. There are evil things out there in life that can't be explained...and there are evil things in life that can be. The ones that can be are the ones to be cocky towards. The ones that can't are the ones you ought to be cautious about and take seriously. You're finally getting to see the monster that your people whispered about." He turned to Anzu, the firelight playing over his face, making his thin smile look menacing. "Believe them now?"

"Completely," she whispered.


	11. Chapter Eleven

DIS: I actually intended on discontinuing this story, but then I sat down after finals week when I got home from work and was doing laundry and figured I'd read something. Recalling that I had written a few pages on this a couple months back, I decided to read what it was that I had written and somehow managed to complete this chapter. Eureka!

X

_Chapter Eleven_

Night had fallen and while Otogi was seated near the fire he had conjured, Isis moved around their temporary campsite, her hands hovering a few inches from her chest as she raised protective barriers. Even with the barriers, however, they were taking turns at being on watch in case one of the sorcerers happened upon them in the night. Once she was finished, she paused to glance behind her at the younger male. He was staring intently at the fire with a haunted expression. "Have you ever been in love, prince?" she asked him, lowering her hands and joining him at the fire. He continued to gaze at the fire for a moment and then sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing them.

"No," he answered crisply, "I have not."

"I suppose not," she said mildly, unbothered by his tone. "Love can completely overwhelm a person. Familial love torments enough, but nothing compares to when a person is tormented by love for another person. If a person becomes entirely possessed by it, then it is all that drives them. Nothing can break its spell. If, however, they control it as the Prince Yami has, then it is not made out as an obsession, but as true love." Otogi slowly raised his head to look at her. "He misses your sister dearly. To be in such a state of love, you must sacrifice your very soul to that person. When that other person is gone, they have taken a part of them with them. When they go of their own accord, then that part goes with them, yet it still hurts. When they are taken as violently as Anzu was, that portion is torn violently and leaves a bleeding wound that never closes up. It will always be there. If we do not recover your sister, he will always be in a state of injury. Do you understand why I am saying this to you?"

"No," he said flatly, "I do not."

"I can sense that you do not believe the prince to care as much as you do about your sister."

"I know he cares for her," Otogi snapped a bit too loudly. He controlled his voice and after taking in three, careful breaths he continued, "I don't appreciate some heartless wench from Hoshäi telling me of matters that you know nothing of. First, let me say that although I believe your story about your brother, it does not change my view on you or your people. Furthermore, I am only cooperating with you because nobody of any use will help me and most of those in Kraion and Siruean are so paranoid that they barely allow any magic to be performed! I _appreciate_ your assistance and acknowledge that, but I'm not interested in your analysis of mine or Yami's affairs." With his exposition concluded, he turned his angry stare to the fire.

"I apologize," Isis said softly after a view moments of silence. "I did not mean to offend you. I will keep our relationship strictly professional and once again, I apologize for overstepping." He did not reply. In any other situation, Isis would not have taken such rudeness from someone of considerable less rank than herself, but she understood his situation all too well. He was bottling up a good deal of emotions, mostly worry and stress. She could not blame him for his distrust, as her people hardly deserved it. It did not help that she had practically told them that she cared more about finding her brother than the mission for which she had been sent.

_I have incriminated myself, _she admitted, _and I expect nothing less than hatred from this prince. _

"There is such a horrible mixture of magic in this forest," Otogi abruptly said as she was absorbed in her thoughts. She flashed him a curious look through the corner of her eye, somewhat surprised that he had picked up such a thing. "Too much of a mixture."

"I agree," she said. "Did you sense the magic as we came in the forest?"

"No...What was it?"

"A barrier," she replied and closed her eyes, pulling her cloak around her more securely. "A barrier that keeps any who enter inside."

X

Anzu woke in the middle of the night, feeling as if she had only blinked. She was as awake as she might be if it were midday. She found herself staring across the room, wondering what it was that had woken her up so suddenly. The fireplace glowed, showering light upon the walls and causing shadows to bob up and down on the ceiling. The effect was eerie and not at all something she wanted to lay watching in such a silent setting. She sat up and slipped out of bed, moving to the door quietly. She listened for a moment, but all was quiet. She considered simply going back to bed and trying to sleep, yet she was still uneasy.

Careful to make no noise, Anzu left her room and crept downstairs, pausing at the bottom of the staircase to listen again. The kitchen was empty and too dark for her liking. Feeling her muscles tense up with fear, she hurried into the den where a fire was dully crackling. The shadows seemed to loom up behind her, but she remained standing, listening. It seemed like ages that she stood there until she heard a sound outside. Swallowing, she approached the entry way and went to stand by the door, staring outside. A dark shape was moving around outside along the edges of the barrier, making horrid, beastly sounds. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she fumbled at the knob, but there were no latches or locks in which to put in place.

"What are you doing out here?"

Anzu gasped and threw herself away from the door, tripping upon her own feet and collapsing on the floor. Bakura stood above her, his eyes narrowed on her limp form. Anzu had not seen him since the discussion early in the day. Since then, he had confined himself to his chambers. She was uncertain whether she was more frightened of him or the creature outside. Regaining what little courage she possessed, she said, "I was woken by something and came downstairs to see what it was...There's a...There's something out there."

"Mm?" He opened the door, causing Anzu to stumble to her feet and skitter around him, grabbing the door and pushing at it. He glanced at her and then roughly pulled her away from the door. "Don't be ridiculous, you stupid little girl," he bit out. "Do you honestly think that there aren't creatures that try to surpass the barrier other nights? Look at it. It doesn't dare go any further than where it is now. It know we're in here, whether it can see us or not." He grabbed her wrist and shoved her in front of him. "_Look at it_," he ordered, holding her arms in place against her chest. "You want to know everything about this new world you're in? Well, take a long look at that beast, princess. It's been exposed to whatever dark magic that's corrupted all the animals for the longest. It's completely mutated it to something that is no longer recognizable."

Forced to stare at the beast, she felt a sudden twinge of pity. Although there was no doubt that the sounds it made were violent, it also seemed like it was tortured and was seeking some sort of escape. As the fear gradually drained from her body, she was suddenly aware of how close she was to Bakura. She could feel the warmth of his body behind her and stiffened. He must have noticed and correctly interpreted the reaction. He laughed, putting his face next to hers, his laughter massaging her cheek. "Concerned for your precious virginity, princess?" He chuckled darkly again and then spun her around so that she was facing him. "Or are you desirous to lose it?" She felt a rush of horror streak through her and as she tugged at her wrists, he released her. She found her balance and glared at him from her place. "No worries," he snidely said, "I don't particularly want it."

As he turned away, she asked, "Did you take Mai's?" The question had not even been in her head before she said it. It simply came and flowed out of her mouth at the same time. He paused and slowly turned to look at her again. "Why else would she feel so vengeful towards you? Did she love you?"

"Don't bore me with your romantic visions," Bakura told her coldly. "There was nothing of the sort between her and me. Mai doesn't love. I don't love. It's about time you realize that this world is not sugar coated in every situation. Life isn't easy like yours and your prince's lives are. Or rather, _were_." There was a bitter tone to his voice when he spoke about Anzu and Yami's lives being easy that surprised her. She opened her mouth and then stopped herself. Whenever she felt a bit of sympathy towards Bakura, she felt conflicted. He didn't deserve it with how he treated her, much less with what he must be putting Yami through by her being missing.

X

Isis glanced behind her to look at Otogi in question. She could feel the strength of the magic she had felt earlier become stronger the further they moved into the forest. _Bakura must have gone very deep into the forest to avoid detection_, she mused. She knew that they were getting close and magic helped hasten their journey. Otogi had been surprisingly quiet and thoughtful, likely because of the knowledge that they would be stuck in the forest with no way out. _Not that it will mean much to him once we find his sister safe and sound, _she thought to herself. _Once he is with the princess, he will have no reason to be in a hurry to get back_. She paused, turning her head in question. Otogi continued to walk and put a hand on her arm to indicate that he had sensed another person with them as well. Isis probed the area around them, but could not detect her brother's magic. A sudden explosion of dark spirals swam towards them. Isis lifted a shield just in time to deflect them. The shield shuddered dangerously, a subtle sign that whoever she was facing was not a weak sorcerer. _But if it is not Malik...then it must be..._

"That's a strong shield you managed to raise in such a short amount of time," Bakura remarked, emerging from the trees with a handful of plants. He was wearing gloves, likely to protect his skin from any poison that may be contracted from the plants. Isis felt Otogi stiffen beside her as he recognized their adversary. Afraid he might do something rash, she held an arm in front of him. Bakura noticed the gesture and looked from one to the other with an amused look upon his face. Isis was unaccustomed to facing someone outside of Hoshäi who had such magnificent power. She had only heard of Bakura and very faintly, at that. It was no wonder that her brother chose him to hide with in the forest. "And by your appearance...I would say that you are from Hoshäi."

"You are correct, sorcerer Bakura," Isis calmly responded, brushing some hair from her face that had flown into her face when she had raised the shield. Bakura's lips curled into a smirk and he raised a hand. She stiffened, watching the slow swirls of dark magic build in the palm of his hand.

"Shall we see how your shield lasts against a harder blast?"

"Wait, fiend," Otogi barked out, shoved past Isis.

"Prince, no! You don't know who you're dealing with!" she cried out, glancing uneasily at Bakura, who watched them mildly, not lowering his hand.

"I don't give a shit," he said to Isis, turning his head slightly so that he might meet her gaze a moment. "Listen, you," he turned back towards Bakura, pointing a commanding finger to him, "I know that you have my sister, Anzu, and I also know that you're as trapped as we are in this damn forest. I'm willing to make a proposition with you. I might not be that much help, but the fact that the barrier is still up is an apparent sign that you are as baffled by it as we are. Or, well, as she is since she sensed it before I really did." Isis watched Bakura's humor fade from his face, transforming it into an aristocratic, haughty expression. He seemed to be seriously considering Otogi's words and she was shocked to find that he lowered his hand and allowed his magic to fade back into nothing. Otogi looked a bit triumphant.

"I'll just kill you later when I've found you useless," Bakura told him.

"Fuck you," Otogi pleasantly answered. The latter sorcerer raised an eyebrow and then eyed him interestedly. Isis was surprised that he still did not kill them.

_They are more desperate than I would have thought._ "What makes you think that Anzu will let you kill us?" she asked Bakura. "Wouldn't that foil your plan when you took the princess from Kraion?" Bakura swept his cloak out and carefully arranged his plants on the belt in his pants so that he would have his hands free. When he was finished, he raised his eyes to hers and she felt a chill travel down her spine at the look. Bakura was an attractive man without a doubt, but also a frightening one. The stare he directed at her was impassive and almost was not human. She felt that he could slaughter them without a thought. Isis was not one easily frightened by another creature, having dealt with several in Hoshäi, yet this sorcerer made her insides twist and made her wish to step back.

"Killing her would be a favor to the world," he said at last, grinning in an unwholesome manner. "Follow me."

X

Malik's nightmares had been getting increasingly worse as of late and this time he woke later than usual because he had become entrapped in one that, as always, included his sister. His room stank of fear and sweat. It enraged him whenever he woke to such a smell. He felt weak and when he was drawn to such weakness...it only disgusted him. He sat up in bed, breathing hard from anger and when he had calmed his racing heartbeat, he sat with his hands on his knees, staring at the ground with a scowl on his face. Admittedly, he had thought of never sleeping again but he felt that, too, was a type of weakness. He would be running from the thing that caused him such distress, hiding from it so that he did not need to suffer. No matter where he went, there was always something that reminded him of how weak he had become – how weak he had always been.

While brooding over his self-hatred, a little probe seemed to tickle his brain and pull his attention from his thoughts. He could sense a familiar bit of magic, but was unsure of why or whose it was. It was not any of his housemates, as he was so used to theirs that it would simply be another part of his life. No, this was another sorcerer entirely. He frowned. Sorcerer did not sound right when describing this new magic. Sorceress seemed to be more appropriate. A knock sounded on his door and he stiffened as it slid open. However, his anxiety was unnecessary as it was only Anzu. She smiled tiredly, appearing to have gotten little sleep and as if she had been awake for some time now. "I'm sorry...I heard you cry out from downstairs and felt I should come check on you."

_Check on you..._it was a term that one applied when speaking of a child. He found yet another reason to hate himself. Not only was he weak, but a human princess with no magical blood in her veins wanted to "check" on him to make certain he was doing well. It was revolting. Malik became disgusted with himself abruptly, wishing he had not thought such bitter thoughts towards Anzu a moment after they had ran through his head. She didn't deserve his scorn, although her attempt at escaping gave him good reason for disliking her. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking, though," he muttered.

"When did you finally get to sleep?"

"Not soon enough, apparently," he said under his breath. She gave him a questionable look. He sighed and waved a hand. "It's nothing, Anzu. I just...have trouble sleeping well. Where is Bakura? Have you seen him yet?"

"He left outside somewhere," she replied, "and I haven't seen him for a few hours now. I imagine he's getting more plants again." He frowned, noticing the subtle shift in her demeanor. Clearly wishing to avoid the subject, she suggested, "Maybe you should get a bath going and relax a bit? Maybe it will make you feel a little more rested. Then you can come down and we can make something to eat. I'm starved." She smiled, patting her stomach emphatically. He continued to survey her with a narrowed gaze, instinctively knowing that there was something that she was not telling him.

"Yes...that sounds like a good idea," he murmured. However, before he could usher her out of his chambers to begin to bathe, Seto let himself into the room. "Get the hell out of here, I didn't invite you in," he snapped at him.

"I'm not interested in being in here," Seto drawled self-importantly. "It reeks of sweat." His eyes flickered to Anzu suspiciously and after determining that she did not hold that same smell, he continued, "Bakura's outside the cottage with some visitors. And no, I haven't spoken to him. I felt their magic and just a moment ago he appeared with them outside. I think we ought to meet him."

"Alright, alright," Malik grunted, standing up and disrobing in front of them. He assumed Anzu had slapped her hands across her face because he heard Seto snort behind him. After dressing, he pressed the clean cloth to his body, feeling a little more in control of his emotions. He nodded to himself and buckled his belt, turning around. As he had thought, Anzu's hands were clenched over her eyes. He smirked and then clapped his hands. "Well, let's get going then." He moved forward and jerked Anzu's arms down, revealing her bright red face. "You missed a great sight, princess."

"Spare me," Seto said, rolling his eyes.

The three of them went downstairs, Malik leading the way with Anzu following close behind them. Malik hesitated in the kitchen as he probed outside. The magic he sensed was far too familiar for his own liking, yet he still could not determine where it was from or whose it might be. He sighed inwardly and then continued towards the door. He could see nothing outside the window, so he opened the door and stepped out. Bakura was nowhere to be seen, nor the visitors that Seto had spoken of; however, there was still the unmistakable sensation of foreign magic. Seto stepped ahead of Malik, clearly knowing where Bakura was to be found. They rounded the cottage to find Bakura standing with two other people, one of whom Malik recognized very well. His footsteps slowed until he could no longer bring himself any closer to them. Seto continued, but Anzu stopped and looked back at him in question. Isis, however, turned in hearing their approach and stared at him, her gaze boring into him. A strange expression crossed her face, one of which Malik had never seen upon his sister's face. Was it relief? Remorse? He could not be sure.

"Malik." He was startled away from Isis's eyes and looked down to see that Anzu had returned to him. Her hand was on his arm, a concerned look crossing her face.

"I'm alright," he murmured. The lie slid off his tongue easily despite his increased heartbeat and the feel of cold sweat on his back. His memories were returning to him again and he suddenly felt ill. He wanted to go back to his room and crawl under the covers. "I'm fine," he heard himself say to her.

"You're not," Anzu said quietly and then looked behind her. Malik followed her gaze to see that she was staring at Isis. He turned his gaze away from the women and found Bakura, instead. He was standing next to the unfamiliar male. The male appeared as if he had tried moving forward, but had been stopped by Bakura. His green eyes glared fiercely at Bakura, who merely stared at him impassively.

"Allow me to introduce ourselves," the male abruptly called out, taking a few steps away from Bakura. "I am Prince Otogi of Siruean and this is my companion, Isis Ishtar of Hoshäi." He paused to allow this to sink in. Bakura's eyes narrowed and Seto turned his head slightly. Malik's stomach dropped when he saw Anzu turn and stare at him, a suddenly fearful look entering her eyes.

_Now they know about my sister, _he thought, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, _and I'm sure that soon they'll know about Marik, too. _

X

DIS: As always, sorry for the super long wait everyone. The good news is that now that I have everyone where I want them, the story should be moving faster. Updates, however, will probably be just as sluggish. Please leave a review telling me how you liked it, what could be better, etc. Ciao!


	12. Chapter Twelve

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Twelve_

Bakura's eyes flickered between Malik and Isis impatiently. He had never known Malik to have any siblings and given that they were rather close, this surprised him somewhat. Admittedly, he had never asked either of his companions about their family relations, mostly because it had never been important before. However, Bakura was not particularly interested in dealing with family problems between Malik and what appeared to be his sister. Malik did not seem all too thrilled to see the woman, who appeared a little anxious, as if she wanted to move towards him. _It is always possible that they are not related at all,_ he mused thoughtfully, _but it is also highly unlikely. _He considered each of them for a moment. Otogi, who had picked up on the tension, had paused a moment after his introduction, surveying each of the gathered people, as if trying to determine who it was that had caused the tension. _Fool,_ Bakura thought.

"Thank you for your fine introduction," Bakura drawled, taking a few steps so that he was standing in front of Malik. Isis Ishtar blinked at having her brother obstructed from her view. While Bakura did not particularly care one way or another about Malik, he did not need his performance affected by family members butting their way into his life, especially when he was one of their key workers as far as the Dark Arts were concerned. As it was, they rather needed him undistracted and without any stress so that he might focus on the current issue they had – which was that of the barrier around their cottage. "However, I'm more interested in why you are here."

"Why else would we be here?" Otogi demanded, suitably indignant at the question. Bakura nearly smirked. As he suspected, the question had drawn the attention from Malik and Isis and to the temperamental prince before him. "You stole my sister from me – I will never forgive you for that. What could you possibly accomplish by stealing her? Just to get back at Yami?"

"Please," Bakura snorted sarcastically. "As if I give a shit about that puny thing. I could blow him to pieces with a wave of my hand if I wanted. And although this may come as something of a surprise to you, little prince, I did not steal your princess from Kraion, nor did I have any initial plans with her until she showed up rather beaten up and bruised at _my_ cottage."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Otogi," Anzu hastily intercepted, hurrying forward in front of Bakura before her brother decided to do something brash. "He's telling the truth. Bakura did not take me from the castle." Otogi sent her a disbelieving look. "I woke up in the middle of the forest...there was a mountain lion that chased me and I injured my foot very badly. If these men hadn't helped me, my foot would have rotted it off...you really should be thanking them."

"How do you know they didn't put you in that position to gain your trust?"

"I just do, Otogi," she quietly said, unwilling to unravel the tale of everything that had happened in the time that she had been there. Bakura peered at her curiously through the corner of his eye. She seemed to sense it and glanced up at him in question. He considered over the princess for a short amount of time and then turned to look at Otogi again, who appeared a little less moody and more thoughtful. Bakura could tell that Otogi had accepted her explanation for the time being, but it did make Bakura wonder whether she intended on being honest with him or not.

"Very well," Otogi conceded at last, folding his arms across his chest and shifting his weight onto one leg. "But that does not mean I trust or like you, sorcerer. In fact, I will fight you to the death before you kill me or my sister once this situation is taken care of." Bakura smirked.

"I will gladly accept that challenge," he returned.

"If you don't mind," Seto interrupted in a flat tone, "this is all incredibly boring to me, so would you mind explaining to me what we're going to do with these two while they are here?"

"We will have to add two new parts to the house, it appears," Bakura remarked, turning to survey the house. When he glanced back, he noticed that at some point, Malik had vanished from the clearing. In any other circumstances, he might have been bothered by this, but given the circumstances, he did not draw any attention to his absence. Isis, however, noticed immediately after he had changed positions. When she moved slightly, he said, "My dear lady, I suggest you leave him be." She halted, turning her head to stare at him. "Malik appears to neither want to see nor talk to you. If you try to force your way through him, you will have to deal with me first."

"Bakura!" Anzu snapped. He raised an eyebrow at her, a subtle way of telling her to shut her mouth.

"While you stay here, neither of you will show any disrespect, go nosing around, or cause drama while here, am I understood?"

"Anzu and I are of royal blood," Otogi told him in a rather high-handed manner. "What makes you think that you can treat as like common slaves?"

"Perhaps it's the fact that I can overpower either of you?" Bakura suggested in a thoughtful tone, his eyes drifting to the sky. "Yes...Actually, I do believe that _is_ why. Shall I allow you to witness such?" He grabbed Anzu and dragged her to him. She stuttered a bit, her eyes widening into large saucers. A low glow formed on the palm of his hand as he smiled at Otogi. "Now...where would you prefer her to be burned? Her throat?" His hand drifted to her throat, hovering above it. "Or perhaps her shoulder?" His hand moved to the corresponding body part while Otogi stared, tight-lipped and furious. "Or perhaps...you would prefer I burn her pretty little face for her fiancé?"

"Bakura," Seto spoke up, "that's enough. We are all in the same position right now, stuck because of some outside source trapping us here. We hardly need to cause problems with each other." Bakura glanced at him and then closed his hand, the glow disappearing. He kept a hold on Anzu, who attempted to tug away from him.

"Be still, would you, princess?" he said. She glared up at him. He chuckled at her fiery expression and then shoved her towards her brother, who barely caught her, somewhat off guard by the sudden movements. Anzu pushed away from Otogi and whipped around to Bakura.

"Can't you act polite for once in your life?" she demanded angrily. "Seto is right, we're all in this together, I don't understand why you can't simply accept that and stop acting so rude about everything! It's hard enough knowing that I'm stuck with _you_, when all you did is mistreat me and everyone that you're around. Do you even notice that Malik has nightmares every night? Do you even notice how alienated you've made him and Seto?"

"I'm not interested in your moral code," he returned in a bored tone, "and I doubt that Seto and Malik don't give a shit about how they're treated because they treat me just as poorly. That's how we work and that's how your filthy 'royal' bloodline works, too. Do you honestly think that everything is sugar and candy like Yami has apparently made it out to you? Do you really think that every royal member treats their people kindly? You are mistaken and stupid if that's what you truly believe. And given Malik's rather abrupt departure, I think your indignant reaction for that woman there is likely unwarranted," he added, nodding to Isis, who frowned at him. "Let me give you a history lesson, princess. The Hoshäi people constantly enslaved, killed, and tortured their people. If you believe that this woman is all that great and deserves your defense, then go ahead, but I do not believe that would fit your moral code that you've been imposing on me ever since you got here."

"It's not a moral code, it's called being nice," she told him angrily.

"Then I suggest you reconsider who you are nice to," he replied, raising an eyebrow at her. He turned away and disappeared, leaving them to their own thoughts. Bakura was hardly interested in what any of them thought about him, let alone that bothersome princess. He was far more interested to see what had caused his closer companion to become distressed by.

X

Malik had settled himself in a tree in the forest, some ways from the cottage. He wished that he could have stayed and confronted Isis, had been cold and unfeeling and sarcastic like Bakura. But somehow, he could not manage it. He could barely remain there for the time that he had, only able to recall the last time he had seen her. He closed his eyes, his hands bunching together in his pants as the vivid memory he had been escaping for the past years suddenly replayed in his mind. He remembered that look of anger and agony on his brother's face as their people tore into him, summoning all their power to destroy him. He remembered how, for one brief moment, Marik had turned and looked at him and called for him. But mostly, he remembered how he was not strong enough to break through Isis's defenses to save him from his death. He could never forgive himself for being weak. Malik regretted not killing his sister after that. He regretted not taking care of her like he ought to have. _I should have been stronger...I should have been able to get through to Marik and I should have destroyed Isis, rather than letting our familial ties get in the way. _He drew his hands to his head, gritting his teeth as Marik's screams rang through his mind. _Why did I let that happen to him? I should have been better than that...I should have worked harder to get to where I am now. I could have kept him from dying!_

"Malik."

He snapped out of his thoughts, whipping around a bit violently to stare down at where Bakura was stationed. At his reaction, Bakura's brow furrowed and there was the slightest sense of tension in his body, as though he feared that Malik might attempt to attack him. And, sadly, for one moment, Malik considered it. He was irrationally angry at Bakura for disturbing him and after he calmed his thoughts and reminded himself that it was not Bakura who had caused this, he was at last able to calm his bloodlust. "What do you want?" he demanded hoarsely. Bakura stared at him for a moment.

"We need to have a talk," he said, "though you seem to be rather upset."

"I'm not upset," Malik lied, but his bitter tone betrayed him. _Fucking Isis, _he cursed in his mind. "I don't want to discuss anything."

"You never told me you had a sister," Bakura continued, ignoring his words. "Why did you not say so?"

"I'm not discussing this!" Malik snarled.

"You are if I say you are." Malik turned and stared down at Bakura, whose expression was a subtle warning of what could happen if he dared to disobey him. While Malik was aware of Bakura's moods and power this was one thing he refused to discuss with him – or anyone, for that matter. Marik was, and would always be, the one secret held constantly to his heart. He would not let anyone know of his brother's shameful demise.

"I have no reason to tell you," Malik snapped, slipping from the tree so that he was close to Bakura, their noses nearly touching. "You have admitted nothing of why you are here, so why should I admit something to you? You don't deserve that confidence and I refuse to give it to you." Bakura stared at him, saying nothing and not even moving. For a moment, Malik was certain he had lost all interest, but then he remembered who Bakura was and knew that was not possible. Bakura enjoyed control and if something like that happened abruptly, he would take care of it as well as he could and would generally succeed. Malik did not intend on letting someone like Bakura know of his past, though. He did not trust him to not use it for his own advantage.

"Do you honestly think I don't know what you're thinking?" Bakura asked at some length. Malik glared at him, waiting for the analysis that was sure to come. Unlike his usual offering of opinion, however, Bakura simply stared at him, apparently waiting for a response. Malik took a step away from him and eyed him warily, but nothing in the latter's demeanor gave him any sort of indication as to his current state of mind. Malik continued to stare at him, still with a somewhat venomous expression, yet it was also slightly confused. Perhaps Bakura saw this, because he stepped away from him, putting some distance between them. "I suppose that is due to my own persona I have developed," he remarked, as though Malik had said something. His mouth turned upward in a small, bitter smirk. "No, I suppose you do not have any reason to tell me, Malik." He glanced at him and then stepped away, disappearing.

Malik was at a lost for words, staring at the spot where the sorcerer had been a moment ago. "What the fuck?" he muttered to himself.

"Malik." He started and whipped around. Seto raised a hand mildly. "Where is Bakura? I've been trying to find him, but he's been keeping himself well-guarded up until a moment ago. Is he here or did he run off somewhere again?"

"He isn't here," Malik grunted, "he just left. He's acting oddly. I would leave him alone."

"As if that is any different than he always acts?" Seto queried sarcastically. "And he's not the only one acting oddly. You disappeared in the middle of a discussion that could have been vital had we not had two men vying for power in the group. I would have expected you to want to talk with your sister, regardless of her welcome or not. The very least you could have done was some cock-wagging to get scare her off."

" 'Cock-wagging'? Really? Is that what you call a show of power, Seto?" Malik demanded, scowling.

"I do," he answered simply, "because that is all it is – and it is all it is similar to. But my crude definition is neither here nor there, Malik. Stop acting like an idiot. You know why I am asking. I'm not interested in family drama, but we do need yours and her skills in order to understand this barrier more thoroughly, so I would appreciate if you try and put the past behind you until after this is over." Malik looked away from him, frowning at the ground. Seto made it sound easy to simply forget what had happened between him and Isis, what he had turned into as a result of her selfish actions. He could not forgive her for that, not even for the current crisis they were stuck in.

"My idea of getting over the past is quite different than yours, Seto," Malik told him at last.

"How?"

"You would choose that I would simply forget the past and work with her, is that correct?"

"Yes...," Seto cautiously admitted.

Malik nodded and then tilted his head back to look at the tops of the trees thoughtfully. "I would rather slit her throat than work with her."

There was a tense pause where Malik remained staring at the treetops, not allowing himself to see the flash of disgust in Seto's eyes. When his companion finally spoke, however, he surprised Malik.

"At least get some ideas out of her to get some use out of her before you kill her."

Malik turned and looked at him, but Seto had already gone, likely to return to the cottage or to continue his search for Bakura. He turned his head back to stare at the glimmer of light pouring through the gaps above him and he sighed, closing his eyes as sunlight touched his eyelids. As always whenever he allowed the sun to touch him again, he was reminded of Hoshäi and the warm sun that was always present. And, as always, his brother's face flashed in his mind before his death and he darted from the sun, standing in the shade, pressing his palm to his forehead in pain. His lips pursed and he lowered his hand, laying it on a tree. He wished he could get a respite from his mind, if only for a few hours.

X

Anzu was beginning to get anxious. Seto had returned some time ago after leaving to find Bakura and bring him back to discuss the reordering of the cottage, but he was alone. Malik was still missing and Bakura had yet to return from his own departure. Isis was sitting silently in the den, apparently absorbed in her thoughts, while Otogi paced throughout the house, repeatedly attempting to get into Bakura's quarters without much success. From time to time, him and Seto would stand in the kitchen, discussing something, but then Otogi would continue to his endless wandering. Anzu, unable to watch him for much longer, had retired outside, moving around the cottage slowly, watching as the sun lowered in the sky. She wished that their other two companions would return, especially Malik, given his upset state. She chewed on the skin beneath her nail as she walked. As she was beginning to round the cottage again, she heard a rustle and whipped around, hurrying to where she heard the sound. Bakura glanced at her as she came running towards him.

"Bakura!" she called as he continued away from her. She picked up speed and he turned and caught her before her hand landed on his head.

"Do you mind not continuing worthless attempts at assaulting me?" he snapped, throwing her roughly so that she fell on the ground. She winced as her hand hit a rock, causing a sharp pain in it. He was about to continue away from her, but she drew her hand up to reveal that it had split open on the palm. He paused, staring at it and noticing her wincing in pain, holding her wrist with a pained expression. He stared at her a moment and then turned back to her.

"Go away!" Anzu snarled unexpectedly, startling both of them. She sniffed and then held her wounded hand to her chest. "All you do is cause everyone pain." Anzu met his eyes briefly to see an unrecognizable emotion in them, but then when she blinked and looked closer, they appeared as familiarly cold and gray as usual.

"Let me see your hand," he said instead, his demanding expression allowing no argument. She hesitated and then handed it to him. He withdrew a handkerchief from within his robes and wrapped it around her hand. She stiffened when a soft glow began to emit from his hand and she jerked her hand away, causing her yelp in pain at the sudden gesture. "Would you _please_ trust me for five seconds?" Bakura snapped, appearing suddenly enraged. "Does it _look_ like I'm trying to kill you or are you just that stupid?" Anzu hesitated, staring at his angry expression and then returned her hand to him. Glowering all the while, he hovered the glow over her hand and she felt the pain begin to dissipate. "All I can do is numb the pain for you for a bit," he said briskly and then helped her to her feet. "Go inside and see Seto, he'll be able to help you. Stay away from the upstairs, I'm adding some more rooms for our guests. Be sure to pass that on. Also, stay inside, I don't need any deaths on my hands." He left her, then, walking in quick strides.

Anzu watched him walk away, cradling her wounded hand in her other hand. She felt guilty for her harsh words towards him and for the first time since meeting him, she had seen a glimpse of hurt that she did not trust him. She had never seen anything but hard, cruel emotions from him until then. Anzu looked down at her hand, feeling sad. _Is he really so mean...or is he just misunderstood? _It was the only time Anzu had felt truly confused towards how she should feel towards the sorcerer Bakura.

_TBC_

X

DIS: I finally got a chapter done! Well, I'm actually getting back into it. So, please let me know how you like this, if it's getting faster for you or if you think it's still slow, etc. Any concerns you have I'll try to address. But please leave me some feedback in a review, PM, or an email, whichever way you prefer. I won't know what I'm doing poorly if you don't tell me. Thank you to **everyone** that reviewed during the time that this story has been on hiatus, I appreciate it, y'all got me motivated to write on this some more. I had a guilt trip from hell over this, so thank you everyone. That said, ciao! Until next time!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

DIS: Thanks to **everyone** who reviewed! I'm so glad people are still following this, especially with how long it has been! :) Thankfully, I managed to get this updated faster. Enjoy!

X

_Chapter Thirteen_

It was late when Anzu heard footsteps on the stairs. She knew that it was Malik and although she was worried about him, she did not step out into the hall to ask him if was okay as she had originally planned. She remained in front of the fireplace, wrapped in her blankets, listening to his slow footsteps move up the stairs. There was a pause and then she heard a low murmur of voices. She turned her head slightly, vaguely recognizing Seto's voice. She stood up, slipping out of her comfortable blankets, and moved closer to the door in order to hear them. They were talking very quietly, likely to keep their other guests from hearing them.

"...can do this," Malik's voice mumbled. "I'm having a hard enough time just coming back to the cottage but there were too many fucking things coming out in the forest that I didn't have much of a choice."

"You'll worry the princess if you keep acting like this," Seto said quietly.

"What?" There was a pause of hesitation and then Malik asked, "Has she...been worried?"

"She got into with Bakura shortly after you left and I think they may have encountered each other sometime after he returned from doing whatever it was that he had been occupied with. She came in with a split hand and when I asked what had happened, she only said that she fell. Obviously she was lying, though, given that she had Bakura's handkerchief around her hand and I could sense that he had used some magic on it, likely to keep the pain at bay."

"He hurt her?"

"I don't think on purpose, Malik. He wouldn't have bothered to do any of that if he wanted to do that. Bakura doesn't have a conscience, if you recall."

There was a long pause in which it was silent out in the hall. Anzu leaned forward slightly, but did not care get any closer to the door in case they saw her shadow underneath the door. She knew she was safe at this distance, but still did not want to risk being caught eavesdropping. She concluded that they were not saying anything and after awhile, Malik sighed deeply.

"She's been very nice to all of us," he admitted. "I wouldn't want her to worry over me. She should have enough to deal with, what with her brother here now. I can't stand the thought of Isis this close to me, though. Would you mind putting a shield around my room so she doesn't sneak her way through?"

"I'm not so sure my magic is strong enough, but I'll try."

"Ha...I can't even believe I'm talking to you civilly."

"Trust me, it won't last," Seto told him snidely. Malik chuckled and then their footsteps passed Anzu's door, moving on to where Malik's room was located. Anzu stood a few more moments and then carefully returned to her spot by the fire. Cold, she quickly rewrapped herself and sighed, snuggling close to the warmth, sticking her feet out towards the fire that was crackling away merrily. She pulled some of the blankets around her head and after awhile, she began to drift asleep. She slid onto the floor and curled up, staring at the shapes of the fire, bemused by the quiet beauty. Yet as she fell asleep, her mind drew up Bakura's face again, the haunting look in his eyes as he had stared at her, and even though she was beginning to fall asleep, a tiny shiver ran up her spine at the thought that Bakura might not, in fact, be all that evil.

X

When morning arrived, there was a clutter of noise, of more people moving around than usual, of water being drawn, of voices hitting together, and most of the cottage's occupants had withdrawn from their rooms to face the day and its challenges once again. The exception to this, however, was Bakura, who had locked himself in his chambers since last night after adding the rooms to the top floor and had not left since then. Presently, he was lounging on one of the chairs, turning an oval piece of glass around and around, staring inside of it. There were several different mirrors of this type around the cottage, some in the rooms. It was one of those devices which allowed Bakura to know of Malik's night terrors, and to determine where Anzu was currently and whether she was in the cottage. Bakura's other piece of glass that was settled on stone levers and placed upon his desk was used only for the outside. These ones were far more useful in that most of his guests were generally within the cottage more so than anything else.

He turned one of the mirrors and it shimmered before the kitchen was shown. Seto and Anzu were seated next to each other and Seto had spread out some plants, explaining them to her. Otogi was standing near the door and frowned at them, watching them with some interest, but mostly disdain. It was clear that he did not like to think of one of the sorcerers as an actual good person. Malik was at the stove, cooking, but he occasionally glanced around, as though waiting for his sister to walk in. The mirror shimmered again as Bakura searched for Isis and he found her in her room, sitting on her bed, staring at something in her hands. From his vantage point, Bakura could not see what it was and after watching her for a moment, the mirror shimmered and returned to its usual reflective quality. He stared into it for a moment and then set it aside. He was tired. It had been some time since he had last taken a regenerative brew and he doubted that Malik would be up to making him one after their rather tense encounter yesterday.

He considered that for a moment and recalled Anzu's harsh words towards him. She had told him that she hated him before, and countless times was not afraid to be mean or hateful towards him, yet he had recognized that he was sensitive to such words at the time, especially after having Malik speak against him. Admittedly, he was indifferent towards most things but it had hurt to know that even after everything, he was still the only one that Anzu did not trust. _She actually thought I was going to hurt her, _he mused, staring up at the ceiling without any real expression. _She was already wounded and yet she still thought I was going to inflict more harm upon her. _

He stood up and moved to the window, thrusting the curtains aside angrily. _But what do I care? The damn woman means nothing to me as far as I am concerned. As soon as I am able to use her for my purposes to gain control of Kraion, then I could care less. _

He rested a hand on the window frame, his elbow bent out slightly as he stared into the dark trees. It appeared cold and damp outside, with a good deal of overcast, reflecting his poor mood. It was going to be a long day of bitter emotions he suspected. He thought a moment, staring out at the landscape and then he heard a small whisper of a sound, entering from the back of his mind. He straightened and released a sigh. "Fuck."

There was a sudden rumbling overhead and he raised his eyes up to where a strike of lightning crossed the sky. He pushed away from the window and paced the room, his arms crossed. He considered everything, attempting to get his mind back onto the problems at hand. He knew that Mai had something to do with the barrier that was around their cottage – which could only mean that she was preventing Anzu from leaving, rather than any of the sorcerers given that Anzu had been her focus the entire time. But the only question was _why? _What could she possibly want Anzu out of the picture for? It felt like it had been so long since Bakura had so much as been near Mai, let alone speak to her, and it took him a moment to remember her ambitions, what she was made up of, and it did not take him long with his sharp memory.

_She wants power, _he concluded. _If Yami marries, he will become king and both him and Anzu will have all the power – Mai will have none. She will simply be known as the cast-off princess. _He rubbed his hands together briskly. _I will need to take care of this...She's going to go after Yami here soon. She'll ruin everything. Without Yami, there's no point in having Anzu around at all. _

"Fuck," he repeated softly. "Why do women have to complicate everything?"

He hastily washed and dressed and hurried out of his chambers. He slipped into the kitchen, immediately catching everyone's attention. He frowned as he stood there, meeting Otogi's arrogant gaze and then looking down at Anzu and Seto. She was holding a leaf and was looking at him with an unreadable expression that unnerved him. "What is it, Bakura?" she asked at last. Again, there was the slightest whisper of something in the back of his mind but he stomped it aside.

"Otogi," he addressed the prince, who raised his eyebrows mildly, "when you were in Kraion, did you meet Mai at any point?"

"She came into the dining room once," Otogi replied slowly, "but she was not there for long." His expression turned puzzled as he searched his memory and then he shook his head. "That was the only time I saw her. She was requesting to be moved to the royal suite in the gardens. She was a beautiful woman...but she looked very tired and almost sickly. I had not seen her since then. But...Yes, now that I remember, I saw Yami moving towards where the gardens were located. He may have gone to see her, but he did not mention anything." Otogi hesitated and then shrugged. "That's all I can recall, I'm afraid."

"Feeling a little less feisty, hmm?" Bakura queried.

"Don't test me, Bakura," was all the prince said. "I'm not in the mood." He then continued, "When Mai requested that she be moved to the royal suite, I told Yami that I thought something was going on. We never saw Mai and we never heard anything of her after she had been moved. She was doing something in there – I know she was – and I would bet my life that it had to do with this barrier."

"It would an agreeable bet to make," Bakura said slowly. He glanced at Anzu. "Seto, take the princess out to the shed and show her how to make a regenerative brew."

"Malik is better at that than I am," Seto said in an irritated voice, "and I think you should recall that I am not a servant to be ordered about."

"Then go show her a brew that she can make herself to help since she enjoys hurting herself so much."

"Why can't I be here during this conversation?" Anzu demanded huffily, standing up moodily. "It's not like I don't know why you're trying to get me out of the room, Bakura, I'm not stupid." Bakura stared at her without any expression, debating upon what she said. He could insist that she leave anyway, even though she would throw a fit and give him dirty looks all day, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with that and she _had_ said she wanted people to be honest with her around there from now on. He could care less about what she wanted, but he supposed that this would be easier than keeping it a secret from her. After all, Seto loved to reveal things to the girl that she didn't need to know.

"Very well, but sit down." She obliged him, clutching to her plant still. Seto frowned and removed it from her hands before she ruined it. Bakura turned away from them and glanced at Malik, who was watching him curiously. "I believe...that Yami's life may be in danger."

"What?" Anzu leapt to her feet again and Otogi started forward in surprise.

"By Mai?" Malik asked cautiously, ignoring the reactions of the two siblings.

"Of course, who else would I be talking about?" Bakura demanded. He took a few steps and leaned against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. "Mai has always felt as though she was not loved as much as her younger brother and has constantly been doing things in order to draw attention from him. She's slept around to evoke a reaction, she's made herself as pretty as possible, and she searched for the Dark Arts. And then, it seems at some point she decided that it would simply be better to get rid of Yami altogether. I think she initially intended to simply get rid of Anzu so that he couldn't get married and obtain the throne, but I have this suspicion that she knows how much power Yami has in Kraion and knows that she will never be able to get any power whatsoever without getting rid of him." His eyes turned to Anzu, who was blinking quickly, likely to control her tears. "Unfortunately, he's sent the two sorcerers that he had on his side here. As far as I know, there is nobody else that can protect him there."

"Well..." Anzu took a deep breath and then said bitterly, "I guess you'll get what you want then, won't you, Bakura?"

"No, because then I'll have to deal with Mai and based on the feeling of the barrier, I think she may have a very powerful ally on her side." His eyes met Malik's. "One that we clearly are not prepared for, given that we are all still stuck behind a barrier they created."

"And so what?" Anzu demanded. "You think that Malik isn't going to help you take her down? You two can share power and bring the entire kingdom of Kraion to its knees. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"What makes you think _I _want power?" Malik queried in a somewhat offended tone.

"Oh, be quiet!" She rounded the table as she shot this as Malik and moved so that she was right in front of Bakura. "If you think I'm just going to sit here and let you do that once everything is over, then you're mistaken. I won't let you bring down a perfectly respectable country."

"You're a stupid, foolhardy woman," Bakura said, leaning forward in her face. "If you think that Kraion as Mai as its queen is going to be any better, than you are sadly mistaken." A slow smirk curled his lips upward and he reached up, tracing her trembling lips. "You could still be the queen of Kraion if that's what worries you."

"Don't be disgusting," she hissed, pulling away from him. "I would _never_ be anything of yours!" She whipped around and stormed out of the kitchen, nearly smacking into Isis, who stepped out of the way quickly enough to avoid her. Bakura sighed, smirking to himself. Malik seemed disturbed still by Anzu's apparent suspicion that he wanted to rule a kingdom with Bakura. When he saw his sister, however, he turned back to the stove and saved their breakfast from nearly burning.

"Why do you do that to her?" Seto asked, collecting the plants. "You're just making her hate you more."

"I don't give a shit and save it, Otogi, I can already imagine your ill-disguised revulsion without looking at you." Otogi had just drawn in an aggravated breath to say something but then scowled and released it when he had spoken. He then exited the room as well, likely to go find his sister. Bakura watched as Isis hesitantly entered the kitchen, still holding something in her hands. His eyes narrowed on her and he queried in a sharp voice, "Was there something you needed?"

"No...not necessarily," she quietly said. As close as she was, Bakura could see that she was holding a small oval portrait in her hand. When Isis noticed his eyes on it, she hastily tucked it away and folded her hands in front of her, meeting his gaze unwaveringly. "I thought that perhaps we should begin working on some plans today...and I think that perhaps Malik and I have some discussing we need to do with you two." She raised a hand and indicated Seto and then Bakura. The way in which she moved, with such regality, reminded Bakura of a priest. "I understand that there is some confusion as to our relationship and I would like to clear that up before we proceed. I feel that honesty is the best course of action."

"No." Bakura slipped away from the counter quickly, standing next to the table where Seto was seated. Malik had violently thrown the iron spoon across the counter, where it simply bounced away from the shield around Isis. He appeared enraged and although Bakura had encountered him at his irritated levels, he had never faced him while he was truly angry; he had never had a reason to be this angered. "It is _my _business and had I wanted them involved in my business, I would have told them!"

"Don't act so immature, brother," Isis coolly said, barely glancing at him. "In order for us to go any further, you need to get over this past grudge that you have been holding. We won't be able to get out of this without working together. You know that."

"I would rather rot in this fucking place than work with a whore like you!" he spat. "It's nobody's business what happened in Hoshäi and it's nobody's business how _you _fucked up our family!"

"I did nothing to our family but preserve the Ishtar clan. I have explained this to you once before."

Malik smashed his hand on the cast-iron pan in frustration and the food went flying over the counter, causing the pan to fall heavily upon the floor. He swore, holding his burned hand to his chest. Malik released a low, almost feline hiss as he gripped his hand and then he let it fall to his side. Seto and Bakura both appeared tense, clearly uncomfortable of this side of their housemate that they were witnessing. Both of the Ishtars were oblivious to the other occupants of the room.

Presently, Malik slipped around to where Isis was standing and moved close to her, saying softly, "If you say anything about our family, I will kill you. Don't push your luck while you stay here." He withdrew, his darkened eyes sweeping across her still face. Apparently satisfied, he lifted his burned hand and there was a sudden hiss as the fire in the stove oven was extinguished. Only after smoke was trailing out of the oven did he leave the kitchen, leaving Isis alone with the other two sorcerers.

Isis closed her eyes and Seto rose to his feet, collecting his plants and hastening from the kitchen out to the shed. Bakura watched his escape with some surprise. He turned to look at Isis, who seemed to be having some trouble remaining upright. She wore an expression of pain and slight fear.

"Let me see the portrait," he said, approaching her with hand outstretched. She opened her eyes and raised them to his face. There was a pregnant pause before she removed the portrait and handed it to him. He looked down at the small picture and frowned, finding himself staring at Isis, along with what appeared to be two of Malik. Upon closer inspection, however, he realized that one was taller, with wilder hair, and harsher features. He also appeared older and Bakura suspected that the male was, in fact, Malik's older brother.

"He's dead," she whispered when he returned the portrait. She raised her eyes to his face and Bakura felt a chill go down his spine when he saw the grief and utter regret in her eyes. "I killed him."

Rather than answering, Bakura simply looked away and began to clean the mess in the kitchen.

X

Anzu looked up from her lap when she heard the slam of a door downstairs. Otogi, who was sitting next to her, frowned and cocked his head. He at last shook his head and said, "All of these people...I swear they have tempers." She raised her eyebrows at him. "I never said I didn't have one," he responded to her look, looking at bit moody, "but they certainly don't take the time to try and control it, do they?"

"Everyone is really stressed right now," she told him. Otogi opened his mouth, an indignant expression. "I _know_ you think that they don't deserve to be defended, but they're not that bad. They've protected me from my own stupid self countless times." He pursed his lips, but did not continue with what was sure to have been a harsh remark. "Bakura is the worst, though. He is always trying to provoke a reaction from me."

"So I noticed," Otogi grunted.

"Otogi...how is Yami?" she asked, drawing their thoughts from the sorcerers. Otogi eyed her and then he sighed, his face softening somewhat. "I miss him...it feels like it's been years since I've seen him last." It was strange that she could still remember his face. If she considered it long enough, she could remember the soft angles of his face, the way his mouth tipped upward into a smile in just the right way, and his constant concern for her, always making sure that she was comfortable or doing well. She missed that about him.

"He's stressed, of course," he murmured. "He's worried sick about you. It's the only thing that occupies his mind. Yet, even though it's clear that he's depressed, he managed to be kind to his friends, to treat everyone fair, and he hasn't once taken his bad mood out on anyone. I admire him for that."

"He has always been very kind," she agreed. They were silent for some time before she asked, "What should we do?"

He turned his uncertain gaze to her. "I don't know, Anzu...this is out of our control. It's not something we can do. We have to hope that the others are able to figure this out. I just don't know enough about magic, let alone the Dark Arts, to be of any help." He sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "I'll be honest, I feel useless. I hate that people like Bakura can do all of this, yet I couldn't even sense the barrier when we went through it."

"Otogi, they worked really hard on getting where they are...and not for good reasons, either. I'm not even sure why Bakura wanted all this power or why he stayed here rather than overpowering Yami and his family and simply taking over. He wasn't trapped in the forest like he is now. He easily could have done something. I don't really understand him..."

"What's to understand?" Otogi bitterly demanded. "He's a monster. I still don't believe that he really gives a rat's ass about Mai killing Yami other than he'll be jealous that his protégée managed to do it before him." He snorted disgustedly. Anzu smiled slightly and then abruptly hugged her brother. He blinked, surprised.

"I'm so glad you're here with me, Otogi. I've been so lonely." She withdrew and smiled. "But we really shouldn't be idle. Even if I can't do magic, I want to try and learn brews with Seto so that I can at least be somewhat helpful and so everyone can do well. If we work fast...maybe we can prevent Yami from being harmed. I would feel as if it is all my fault if he was..."

"It wouldn't be, Anzu," Otogi assured her, watching as her expression fell. "Yami would be defenseless, regardless of whether you had been kidnapped or not. There wouldn't have been any sorcerers then, either. He's never had a reason to have them close to him and I doubt that he would either way, given Bakura's extravagant exit for Kraion."

"I know, but still, I cannot help but think – "

There was an abrupt knock, interrupting Anzu's words, and then Bakura entered. He glanced at Otogi, who stiffened and glared at him, preparing himself if the sorcerer intended to continue his vulgar insinuations. Perhaps Bakura knew that, but instead he simply asked, "So, you did not talk to anyone else at the castle, Otogi?"

"Are we at this again? More interrogating?" he demanded irritably. "No, I did not! Well...except for Shizuka Katsuya and her brother, but that hardly matters, now does it?"

"Shizuka?" Anzu repeated, frowning and then turning to her brother fiercely. "Otogi! How could you?"

"How could I what?" Otogi questioned, baffled.

"Shizuka is an innocent! She deserves better than to simply be seduced and tossed away like all of the other chambermaids you play around with!" His jaw dropped in horror at the accusation and he stood up indignantly.

"Now wait just one minute, I did _not_ do any such thing with her!"

"Oh, Otogi, don't give me that," she scolded, "I know how you are! And does Jounouchi and Yami know that you were twiddling with Shizuka while you were there? I can't believe that she would even do such a thing with you. She should know better, after all I've told her about you and your habits."

"What? What have you told people about my habits? My bedroom habits are my own business, why must sisters go around gossiping about their brothers business?" He released a frustrated sound before saying, "And I did _not _'twiddle' Shizuka Katsuya! Why is it that nobody believes me when I profess my innocence?"

"Because you're a scoundrel?" Bakura cheerfully suggested.

"Quiet, you!"

As Otogi made to face his sister and her glowering eyes, Bakura cleared his throat and said, "As amusing as this is, we have better things to discuss than the prince and his lascivious manner with women." Otogi turned his eyes slowly, a warning glint in his eye, warning him that he was close to being pushed over the edge of sanity. Grinning a little maniacally, Bakura snickered at him and then pointed at Anzu, who frowned at him. "Don't worry, I have no intentions of doing anything in regards to your virginity."

"I told you," she muttered, flushing, "that Yami has already gained possession of that."

Otogi's mouth formed into a shocked 'O' of surprise as he turned to begin his rant about his to-be brother-in-law, Bakura laughed at her, cutting into the brief silence.

"Princess, please. I'm not stupid. In any case, I need your assistance in something. And you, prince, I would like to go down and get Seto and Isis together and the three of you may start on some brews that we may need. Seto should know well which ones we will need and Isis has a few in mind herself. You need to learn in order to be any help, anyway, and that way you can teach your sister. Does this sound like a fair plan?"

"I suppose," Otogi reluctantly admitted, although it was clear his mind was still focused on the information that Anzu had delivered about her virginity. He shook his head slightly, as though assuring himself that she was only joking, and then clapped his hands, asking, "So! Where am I to go? And what is Anzu going to be doing with you?"

"She will be helping me retrieve Malik."

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because I'm not a very persuasive person due to my lack of patience," Bakura replied in a bored tone. "Besides that, Malik is in a poor temperament and might try to start a fight. With Anzu, he will be less likely to do that and I won't have to kill him. Hopefully she can snap some sense into him. I'll be waiting downstairs. Seto is in the shed, Isis is waiting for you in the kitchen," he added to Otogi, who nodded.

After he left, Anzu collected her cloak and shoes and as they were leaving her room, Otogi asked, "You didn't _really_...?"

"Kind of not important right now, Otogi," she answered shortly.

"Okay, okay! But if it is, I'll rip his balls out and – "

"Can we _please_ just not talk about this?"

"Fine..."

_TBC_

X

DIS: Well, there weren't as many scenes as I was trying to get out of this...only three...but the chapter would be a little exhausting if I'd gone further than this, so I figured I'd cut you guys a break and stop at ten pages. In any case, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know how you liked it. If you guys would prefer the longer chapters, let me know, and I'll keep them long. I just don't want to make you guys tired or anything. And remember, if you don't want to review, a PM or email will do – just any type of feedback! Ciao!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

DIS: More Bakura/Anzu in this chapter. Thanks goes to those who reviewed, especially MagykTales, for giving me the motivation I needed to finishing this chapter. I've been lazing about, but with that, I was able to get going. With that said, please enjoy the chapter – I tried to make it longer than last chapter.

X

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Fourteen_

The djinn heard a sound somewhere in the house and woke from his light slumber, lifting his head from the mattress where it was resting. His body was curved unnaturally towards the bed, his back hunched from the awkward sleeping position. His knees were jammed together on the floor, yet in spite of all of this, he was not uncomfortable. He stood up and glanced down at the figure that was lying in the bed. He gazed for a moment at the inert body of his mistress and then looked away, a pained expression crossing his bony face. He heard the noise again and frowned, sweeping from her bedchamber and standing in the hallway outside her room, listening again. For a moment, there was nothing, and then the softest sound, coming from the drawing room. Rather than investigate, the djinn remained standing outside Mai's door, staring down the hallway. He knew too well that his mistress would be unprotected while he was in the drawing room and given her current state, he could not leave her so vulnerable. After standing a few moments and hearing nothing, he returned inside the bedchamber.

He paused, however, a sudden fear alighting his heart. Mai's covers had been drawn off her and she was on her stomach, her arm hanging over the bed. There was a thin cut upon her flesh and blood dripped down to the floor. While he wished to go to her immediately, he was wary and the djinn knew that they were not alone.

"Djinn," Mai moaned, drawing his attention to her. She turned her head, her brow wrinkling in confusion. He hurried forward and with a quick press of his long-fingered hand, her cut was no longer bleeding and had healed. He shifted her onto her back and pulled the covers around her again. "Djinn, what is happening to me?" she whispered, holding onto his hand, a fearful look on her face.

The djinn had no response. Instead, he settled onto the bed next to her, where she clung to his hand. While she drifted into a restless sleep, he remained awake, staring into the hallway intently, where the same, soft sound from earlier repeated throughout the night and only stopped when the sun had risen.

X

"Bakura, it's late," Anzu told him, holding her cloak around her to keep my shivering. The temperature had dropped considerably during the middle of the night. They had been searching for Malik throughout the day tirelessly and at lunch, when they had returned to eat a few sparse things, he had informed her that they would be not quit until they found him. She had agreed, feeling optimistic, but she was tired now and was ready to back to the cottage for some warm milk and honey and sleep. She was worried about Malik, but if she and Bakura were unable to find him, she suspected that he would be able to keep himself hidden from any predators. However, Bakura was proving relentless. He hadn't responded to her and was shining his bright light around the dark trees, frowning. Because of the barrier, they had only a bit of area to cover and Anzu was of the opinion that they had already covered all of the area that day. "Malik doesn't want to be found," she continued, "why don't you just let him be for awhile?"

"Because he's supposed to be helping us, not hindering," Bakura told her snappishly. He glanced back. "And keep up with me or else my barrier won't be able to help you any." She hurried forward, keeping close to him. He stopped and turned to look at her. "You can go back to the cottage if you like. You haven't been any help today, anyway. You've only been slowing me down."

"Excuse me?" she demanded. "You were the one who asked me to help you, Bakura! I would have been perfectly fine sitting there with my brother. I certainly never wanted to deal with your company." Granted, Anzu had wanted to help to find Malik, as she didn't like the idea of him out in the open with violent animals, but that didn't mean she still wanted to be with her less-than-friendly companion. "You've been rude all day, ever since you woke up! Ever think that maybe he's avoiding us because _you're_ trying to find him and he doesn't want to deal with you?"

"Oh?" Bakura raised an eyebrow. "You want to try and find him yourself? Be my guest, princess."

And with that, Anzu was suddenly left alone. She stared into the sudden black of the forest, shivering. She hadn't realized how much warmer it had been with the light Bakura had been holding, nor how dark and foreboding the forest was at night. She hugged herself, frightened, and unsure of what to do. A sudden touch to her arm had her screaming and batting her hands, which only got scratched from the branch of a shrub. And so, when she felt another touch on her waist, she figured it was simply another bush. When human hands gripped her, however, she shoved herself away, tripped on the bush and went smashing to the forest ground. She was shaking violently, but upon hearing Bakura's dark, familiar chuckled, she became enraged.

"You bastard!" she shrieked, stumbling to her feet and launching herself towards where she believed he was. She felt his hair and tugged hard at him, satisfied by his swearing. She stomped down hard on his foot and nearly succeeded in kicking him in a rather sensitive place if his hand hadn't caught her leg in time.

"As if you didn't deserve it," he retorted in an equally irritated voice. He yanked her hand down from his hair and then held it against her other wrist, clasping her hands and then dragging her away. Anzu could see nothing of what was happening in the dark and was frightened. She suddenly felt her back being pushed against a solid surface and her eyes flickered around wildly. She was breathing hard, both angry and fearful at the same time. "Now...listen to me, princess." Anzu felt Bakura's breath against her face and when she looked up, she could see the faintest outline of his face. "I'm not in the mood for any of your antics, nor any of your silly, moral issues that you have with me. Keep it to yourself and we'll get along fine. Continue to do this, and I'll slit your brother's throat. Or yours, whichever is more convenient."

"You're despicable," she whispered.

"I suppose I am," he agreed. He released one of her limp hands and trailed it along her jawline. "But isn't that why you like me?" Her lips parted to inform him that no, that was why she _hated _him, but his warm lips were on hers, startling her. She felt suddenly flushed and embarrassed and slightly interested all at the same time. His body was so close to hers that she was no longer cold and his mouth, pressed against hers, firm yet not forceful, kept her from reacting as violently as she ought to have. Yet, in spite of being warm, she was trembling. She whimpered beneath his lips, clamping her eyes shut. "Do you enjoy nothing?" he asked in a rather exasperated voice, withdrawing from her.

"Not from you."

"Clearly," he bit out. When he withdrew, there was light again and she blinked against the blinding sight. She stared at him, remaining near the tree. "Are you coming or are you going to continue to stare at me?"

"I want to go back to the cottage," Anzu told him.

"And I already told you, too bad. We're not leaving until we find Malik. Deal with it." He moved forward and took her wrist, pulling her from the tree. She clung against it, glaring at him hatefully. "Stop acting like a child. We have better things to do than sit here waiting for you to get over your bloated ego."

"Bloated ego?" she repeated furiously. "Exactly how is my ego bloated? I'm not the one who just assaulted someone else!"

"That was assault?" he queried, snorting. "I'd like to see the definition of rape from you then."

"Can you _please_ just take me back to the cottage? Malik obviously doesn't want to be found, so let's just leave him alone and let me go sleep so I can forget about – "

"About what, exactly?" Bakura interrupted, frowning. "About your first kiss being stolen? Let's be realistic, princess. We both know that you're a little virgin trying to pass off as a worldly woman with a bunch of men who know too well what you're playing at. Don't fuck with me. I'll do it ten times harder to you than you can and I have no limits. I've warned you before and you simply ignore me."

"I hate you," she said quietly.

Bakura stared at her a moment, noticing by the tone and the manner in which she stared at him that she was being sincere. At first, it angered him. Of all the people that she had to say it to, she said it to him. He admitted that he deserved it, but it still infuriated him that he was the only one out of the group that she hated. Malik clearly had done worse things, Seto was nothing but an egotist, and yet she was the one of whom she felt the need to hate. She had never truly given him a chance and while Bakura generally didn't care about such things, it was frustrating to see every other person accepted while he was being openly shunned. And nobody, not even Malik, seemed to care, nor did any of them defend him. Not for the first time in his life, he felt like a monster.

And like always, he embraced it.

"I could make you hate me more than you do," he told her mildly. "Now if you wouldn't mind, I'd actually like to go somewhere else besides here." She stepped towards him silently. He took a firm grip around her shoulders and when he glanced down at her, he was startled to see her looking up at him with a sad, almost disappointed expression. But then, they were in another part of the forest and she was no longer looking at him. It was as if it had never happened.

X

Seto was not one for getting involved in family conflicts (let alone any conflicts), unless it was absolutely necessary. He knew that Malik would evade Bakura and Anzu far more carefully than he would anyone, given that he was not an idiot and would know very well that Anzu would be there as a buffer, so for there to be no fighting. Where Bakura did not calculate this into his original plan, being more than a bit arrogant, Seto knew that his search for Malik would prove to be more successful.

Seto was easily able to find Malik settled in a tree, looking moody and yet focused. He merely glanced at Seto when he approached, clearly unbothered by him. "Bakura should listen to Anzu," Malik told him, slipping down the tree and standing next to him, his arms crossed. "He's been roaming the entire forest all day, yet he still thinks that he is going to catch me unaware. Fucking idiot."

"At least he's persistent," was Seto's mild response. Malik snorted and then looked to him, a suspicious look crossing his face. "I'm not here to take you back to the cottage or try and reconcile you and your sister."

"Oh? Then exactly what is it that you're here for? I can't imagine that it's just for a friendly chit chat. We both know how much you loathe something as simple as that."

A corner of Seto's mouth turned upward in a smirk. "True. I won't contest that." There was a pause in which Seto considered how he would word his inner thoughts. While everyone else was content in being swept up in the current drama, his mind had not strayed from the reason why the elder Ishtar had invaded their territory in the first place. While the barrier had only been in place for a short amount of time, it had already begun to emit an even more ominous aura than before. Something was happening outside their small space, something that was affecting the barrier directly. "I have been pouring over some of my books," he said at last, watching as Malik raised one of his eyebrows somewhat cockily. "I'm sure you all have better resources than I do, but my information came directly from the books that I had obtained while in Kraion, some of them that came into the kingdom through other...less legal means."

"Yes, and? Where are you going with this?"

"Have any of you considered that this dark magic could be caused by a demon?"

Malik blinked, surprised by this sudden revelation of his companion's. While it disturbed him and even made him doubt Seto's intellect, he could not help but think of such a possibility. "Demons can only come through their realm through a special ritual," Malik slowly told him. "Someone would have had to summon it in order for it to even do this. They couldn't do it through their realm and it wouldn't explain why that demon is directing its attention towards us and our cottage. It _would_, however, explain the recent behavior of the animals. Whenever a demon has crossed into our realm and taken residence somewhere – when it is not connected by laws to a human, of course – it's power has always corrupted nature first. Which would be the forest...and then it would have gotten into the animals, as well."

"And humans? My information on this is limited. I have not heard of, nor read of a demon's power corrupting anything."

"Humans are less susceptible to it. They have to be actively engaged with the demon. Many people who make contracts with demons or any dark creature from another realm are consciously giving up some of their spirit to that creature. Djinns are the most popular creature to summon and too many sorcerers have suffered with having an extended contract with one that generally they are only used as a last resort and the contracts are not very long. Many try to keep it to less than a day, a couple hours at the most." Malik hesitated and then slowly said, "My brother...he once had a djinn. Their contract existed for a week, just long enough for him to get the job done. It was a risk he was willing to take. It took him a long time for him to regain his strength after that, though. From what I understood, the stronger the djinn is, the more it drains from you to summon it, or to even have it near you. They feed off of your life energy. You can break them from your contract, so that feeding ceases, but there are very few people who are comfortable being responsible for such a being existing in the human realm."

"But if there _was_ a djinn or a demon in our realm, would we be able to find its magic in the barrier?"

"If we were able to narrow it down to that, then we would. I would, of course, need help in that. As much as I loathe to admit it, only my sister would be able to, given that she is the only one with experience with djinns and demons. That I know of, of course. If Bakura or Otogi had experience, that would help immensely. It would be easier to find the spell that we need to break the barrier and with three people attacking it, it would mean less time."

"I doubt Otogi has done such a thing," Seto said dryly. "As for Bakura, even if he did, I'm sure he would hate to admit it."

"Of course," Malik sneered irritably. "He resents sharing any information with us."

"Even so, it's worth a try to ask him...I'm not saying you have to come back tonight or tomorrow," Seto added flippantly. "You can come back whenever you want, I don't care, but I do want this resolved sooner rather than later. I hate dealing with so many people in such a small place. Anzu was hard enough."

"Granted," Malik admitted. "I think I'll come back with you now...It's been getting annoying trying to avoid Bakura."

"I bet it has," Seto dryly said.

X

Anzu was thankful for the quiet of the cottage. Bakura had abruptly taken them to the cottage and then disappeared to where the potions and herbs were located and had not arrived since. Otogi had made her and Isis a cup of tea with milk and honey and the three of them had sat in the den in companionable silence. None of them knew what to say, let alone what to really do in the current situation. Anzu, for her part, could have cared less, as she only wanted some comfortable silence as opposed to the looming, brooding silence that Bakura had delivered her for the last bit of their search.

_I miss Yami, _Anzu thought, taking a drink of her tea.

_Do you? _her mind asked mockingly. _Or is it as Malik said, that you simply miss the feelings he gives you? Do you miss being complimented? Or do you miss him, as a man?_

Angry with her mind for bringing up such a silly thing now of all times, she pushed the thoughts away, though she fretted over them somewhat. There was a sudden flurry of loud voices outside, interrupting Anzu's thoughts, causing her and her companions to look towards the kitchen in question. Isis, in particular, seemed concerned by the voices.

"Don't be so selfish!" Seto's voice suddenly lashed out, the kitchen door slamming open. Bakura had stormed through the kitchen, into the den, unaware that the other three occupants of the cottage were nestled inside. He barely glanced at them and then turned to the other two sorcerers angrily. "If you know something about it, then you need to own up to it, rather than leave everyone in the dark. You're not the only one who's got trapped in here."

"Own up to _what_ exactly?" Bakura snarled in return. "I told you that I knew how to deal with djinn and I would help. Why would I need to tell you anything more than that?"

"Because we need to know if your methods are the same as mine and my sister's," Malik told him coldly, not bothering with raising his voice. "Don't be so stupid, Bakura. You were Mai's mentor. The only reason that djinn would be centered on us is if she made it so and if she did, then she learned it from you."

Perhaps no one else could see the shred of panic in Bakura's eyes, the sudden anger and fear that was alighting in his stiff frame. Anzu, however, acknowledged that there was something else behind Bakura's knowledge that he did not want anyone else to know and knew that if they continued to push him, he might close down completely. In spite of his attitude and in spite of his inappropriate actions earlier, Anzu felt the need to intervene before they lost Bakura as an ally altogether. "You guys, stop," she spoke up before they could continue attacking him. Seto and Malik turned to look at her, the former with an incredulous look. She stood up and then hesitated before stepping next to Bakura, putting a hand on his wrist. "You can tell them how you took care of it without saying anything else, can't you? They only need to know what magic you used to deal with it."

"Yes, but how are we to understand it if he doesn't give us the context?" Seto demanded.

"You don't _need_ to understand it," Anzu said firmly, "and you don't need context for a spell, Seto. I think both of you know that very well. And, if it's a matter of trust that you have, then neither of you have any place to talk. Seto, you were never honest to either of them, and Malik, you kept your secrets under lock and key up until Isis showed up. If Bakura doesn't need to tell you, then don't force him. It's his own business."

The room was silent after Anzu's last word had fallen on the ears of the sorcerers. Bakura seemed more in control of himself and while he usually would have looked smug at having the princess stand up for him, he was merely staring at the other two men, waiting for their actions, silently challenging them. Neither Isis nor Otogi made any effort to agree or disagree with Anzu's words, keeping out of the conflict altogether. Seto was glowering at Bakura and Anzu resentfully, partially because she had defended him and also because she had struck out at their own distrust. He glanced at Malik, who had originally concurred with Seto's insistence that they force some information out of Bakura. Clearly, however, following Bakura into the cottage rather than keeping him outside had been a mistake. Had they remained outside, Bakura would have been isolated, without Anzu there to interrupt.

"Alright," Malik said at last, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. "I suppose we can work around that. It would be easier for us to know the context, but I'm not going to argue with you, princess. As long as we have yet another strength to add onto mine and my sister's, I don't really care." He smiled slightly and inclined his head politely to Anzu. She felt a chill, noticing the lack of warmth in his stare. "I'm going to bed, but tomorrow, I think, would be the best time to get together and do some more thorough investigation upon the barrier. Does that sound agreeable to you two?"

"I have no reason to disagree with that, brother," Isis told him quietly.

"Sounds brilliant," Bakura told him, matching Malik's smile.

"Good." Malik left them, then, and Seto retreated soon after.

Sighing, Anzu sat down next to her brother, thankful for the relief of tension. Otogi reached over and patted her hand, smiling, as if to tell her good job.

"Princess," Bakura suddenly said. She stiffened and then looked up to him, as he was still standing. He considered her for a moment and then surprised her by holding out his hand. She hesitated and then gave him her own hand. A shadow of a genuine smile crossed his lips before he brought her hand to his lips, a polite, courtly gesture. She felt that while it was an expression of thanks, it was also an apology for his actions earlier. He glanced at Otogi and Isis, saying, "Good night," and left the room to his own chambers.

"Even the greatest of men feel threatened at some time in their life," Isis remarked cryptically, taking a drink of her tea.

X

There was the play of light upon the ceiling in Bakura's dark bedchamber, a slit of light that slipped through the curtains from the moon. The rest of the house was well into sleep, with perhaps the exception of Malik, who always woke up in the middle of the night. Bakura had never been able to sleep as soon as he went to bed, much less that night. As he lay in bed with the sheet drawn over his prone form, he thought back to Anzu's defense of him. She may not be aware, but he owed her for that. Any questions into his life before the cottage brought him to an unholy level of rage. He had never liked being cornered the way in which Malik and Seto had done, much less by people who he had thought mild companions. He could feel the tide turning against him. It was once that he and Malik had been close conspirators, yet now it felt as though he was planning with Seto to conspire against him. He felt his position becoming precarious. And while there was the slightest bit of shame in having a woman stand up for him, he had been glad for Anzu's assistance. He knew too well that she would listen to them beyond anyone else in the cottage.

Even though he had not told either of the men the situation in which he had dealt with a djinn before, he remembered it all too clearly now that they had roused the memory from his mind. He kept thoughts of his past under lock and key, careful to keep anyone from understanding his motivation, knowing that such information was vital in destroying a person. When one understood what drove a person, it was all too easy to torture them, to beat them into the ground. It was one of the reasons why Mai had finally made a crack in Yami's exterior, why he had left himself completely defenseless in the quest to find his beloved fiancée.

_I never should have told Mai about the djinn, either,_ he thought, frowning up towards the ceiling. _I should have brushed off her questions about demons and summoning rituals like I did with many of her questions that dove too deep into the Dark Arts..._

"_Books talk about dragons and faeries and goblins," Mai told him, sitting next to his lab table which held empty jars, potions, and different herbs. He glanced at her in question, reading through a book for a certain potion, noticing that he only had half the ingredients he needed. As always, he would take his young princess to find the necessary ingredients, teaching her the proper way to choose each individual item. "They talk about demons and ghouls and I can't help but wonder, what with the reality of magic...how much of it is true?" _

_Bakura chuckled. "You want me to tell you if there are small faeries within the castle or in the ground?"_

"_Are there?" Mai asked him, her intent gaze fixed on him. She was an avid listener, hanging on his every word, prepared for anything he might tell her, regardless of whether it was good or bad. Very little seemed to affect her and it made her a good student._

"_The dragons are long gone," Bakura said, gathering the ingredients that he did have for the potion he needed to make, "but faeries are far too clever to allow themselves to become extinct. They still exist, but they are very careful in how they go about their daily lives. They're about the size of bumble bees and the only time I've ever seen one was when I was a child."_

"_And demons? And ghosts?"_

"_I've never seen a ghost, but there are other sorcerers who have claimed such. As for demons, that is another story entirely. You don't want to tamper with them."_

_"But they exist? What do they do?"_

_Bakura paused, noticing the increased curiosity in her questions. She was aware that she had given herself away, but still stared at him, demanding answers. "Why the sudden interest, princess?" He glanced to his bookshelf and then gave a thin smile. "You've been nosing around in my books, again, haven't you?"_

"_You don't think I'm capable of understanding things outside this realm, do you?" Mai said, angry and with a wounded pride. "Because I can. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am." She stood up and stalked around to where he was standing. "You're not going to find anyone as brilliant as I am in this. Don't forget that I'm not here just to play games, Bakura."_

_He laughed in her face, which only infuriated her further. She drew up a hand, likely to either hit him or blast him with what little power she possessed, but he grasped her hand and bent her over the table. She flinched as he twisted her arm in an unnatural position. "Now, little princess," he murmured, his face close to hers, "remember that you still haven't mastered many of the techniques that I have already shown you, so attacking me would be a poor choice on your part. Also...I am the teacher, so I will choose what you are ready to learn."_

"_You underestimate me capabilities," she whispered, a hurt look in her eyes. "Just like everyone."_

"_Oh, please," he said, drawing away, pulling her upright and releasing her arms. "Don't start this again. If I underestimated you, would I really have even bothered to teach you at all? _You _underestimate _me_, Mai, and I suggest you recall that I can take what I gave you just as easily as you received it." To this, she was silent. He chuckled, amused, and leaned into her, stroking her face. "What keeps you here? Your hate for Yami or your love for me?"_

"_Don't be revolting," she snapped, pulling away from him. "The only thing I want this for is to become more powerful so that I can get the position that I deserve. I'm the most beautiful in Kraion – in any kingdom – and far more intelligent than my little brother."_

"_Hopefully your brother doesn't decide he wants to meddle in some magic, as well. Not that he would get very far, seeing as how he never inherited any of it." Mai said nothing to this. Returning to the original subject, Bakura said, "I once tampered with a djinn from one of the other realms. The ritual itself was difficult. At the time, I had very little power and not as much experience with the Dark Arts as I do now. I used that ritual a few times after that, each time it was with the same djinn. The last time proved to be fatal. He tried to overpower me and after I was able to banish him back to his own realm, I never summoned a djinn again. Many are not like that, but those that are greedy, that desire the taste of life more so than anything else...those are the ones that will try to deceive you." _

"_What were you using him for?"_

"_He could move faster than I could. I have many allies in Siruean that were trying to break down the kingdom there. As the court sorcerer, I had to stay here in Kraion and the djinn worked much better and faster than I would have been able to. However, I could not afford to summon him after that incident. Our forces fell in Siruean – they were far more lenient in their laws with sorcerers – and although we had been winning because of the djinn, I had to accept that defeat."_

"_Siruean? What do you have against that country?"_

"_They are a close ally of Kraion. What other reason do I need for bringing them down? Had I succeeded, we would have had Siruean in our hands and we would have been able to bring Kraion down, what with their increased force of sorcerers. It would have been too easy to poison them against the royal family here."_

"_Indeed...and the djinn helped you immensely?"_

_Bakura could hear the excitement and sudden greed in her voice. "Yes...," he admitted slowly, "but that is magic that shouldn't be tampered with, Mai. I learned by now that it would be best used only in the most extreme of circumstances and I don't suggest summoning from the realm I did. The smaller djinns are less complicated and less likely to cause harm." _

"_And yours…?"_

"_It held the stronger djinns. While they are beneficial, they are also more dangerous." _

"_Teach me," she commanded. _

"_You're not ready for that yet, if at all," Bakura said coolly. _

"_Then show me the ritual. I promise I won't do it until I am ready, but please...what ritual is it?" _

"_You expect me to trust you, going through my books as you did after I forbid it?"_

"_Why tell me something and then tell me not to do it?" she asked, frustrated._

"_To let you know of the dangers of it," he stated and then turned to his table, closing the containers and jars that he had removed his ingredients from. She crept upon him, sighing and leaning against him, her warm body resting against his back._

"_Could I kill my brother with a djinn?"_

"_Would it really give you satisfaction to kill him through another, with no torture involved?" he queried, turning his head to look at him._

"_No," she admitted, appearing thoughtful. "No, I suppose not..."_

He wondered why he had not seen then how Mai had become obsessed with djinns and demons and their realm. From then on, she had seemed to become even more obsessed with the Dark Arts than before, working more feverishly. At the time, he has simply found it commendable, even admirable, that she was working so fiercely. He remembered being somewhat suspicious of it, thinking that she was trying to speed up her abilities to summon a djinn, but she always assured him that it was not that, and none of his books or spells went missing, nor did any of his stuff seem to be tampered with after that conversation. She had gained some of his trust, yet he wondered after he had disappeared if she had ransacked his books and obtained the information she needed.

_Of course she did,_ he thought, furious with himself. _My books were the few that existed in Kraion – or anywhere outside of Hoshäi – that had detailed instructions for such rituals. I shouldn't have left them in my lab, so confident that no one would be able to get inside. I can't even recall whether any pages were missing out of my books when I retrieved them later, yet I also cannot recall that ritual when I had been going through them. _

It was driving him insane. He scrambled out of bed and with a flick of his hand, the candles lit up and with a bit more magic, he lit the fire in the adjoining drawing room. He went to his bookshelf and searched it for the book that he knew would hold the ritual. One shelf – _It's not on this shelf..._ The second shelf – _Not here, either. _Third shelf – _Or here..._

Before he could continue, however, there was a sudden knock on his door. He froze, startled, and then moved to his mirror, watching as the glass distorted before showing a tiny figure outside his door. He blinked slowly, startled, and then left the mirror, moving to his door. He paused at it, unsure of whether he was in the right state of mind to talk to anyone. He hadn't yet found what he needed, and he was still recovering from the day's events.

_Fuck it,_ he decided and unlocked the door, dropping the light barrier, and opening it. Anzu blinked against the light that came from the fireplace and stared at him, suddenly seeming uncertain as to why she was there. "Anzu," he greeted cautiously.

"Um...listen, can I...talk to you?" He frowned and then allowed her entry, closing the door and returning the precautions to it, as well.

"You usually go running to Malik or Seto when you need to talk," he remarked, moving to the divan and settling on his, resting his arms on the back of it. "Take a seat."

"No, thank you," she quietly said, having followed him and standing in front of him. She sighed and then looked away, biting her lip, before turning her eyes back to him. "I...I know this is going to sound a bit strange, but...I had a nightmare."

"You're here because you had a nightmare?" His skeptical voice was a bit more irritated than he meant it to be, so he held up his hands before she could talk and said, "Ignore me. Go ahead."

"Bakura, I know that sounds childish," she said and then paced to the side and back, saying, "I think something's happened to Mai. There was this...monster in my dream. But it wasn't her and it wasn't like she was friends with it. She was suffering. It was...it was as if it was killing her. And then Yami, too. I wish there were some way of seeing what's going on in Kraion. I'm so worried. When I woke up, I couldn't shake it off. There's something out there, I just know it, and after hearing this talk about...about, well, demons, I can't help but wonder if it's causing all of this."

"That's what Malik and Seto seem to think," Bakura told her in a reserved tone. He stood up and took her arm and then frowned, feeling how cold it was. "Here, go sit by the fire. I was in the middle of looking for something." Anzu nodded and moved to the fire, settling next to it while he returned to his bookshelf. He felt her eyes on him as he scanned the titles of the books, but never once did he turn to look at her. Her dream unnerved him. And after he had gone through his shelves a second time, he could not find the book he was looking for. _Fuck. She took it. _Granted, it had never made any difference to Bakura, who had used that book obsessively for a long time and had memorized nearly every ritual, spell, and potion within it. Even the ritual for summoning djinns remained within his memory, even though he had only used it rarely; it had been the complexities within the ritual that had caused him to remember it, to read it over and over again.

"Bakura?" Anzu's voice was small and frightened. He had been standing in front of his bookshelf for some time in deep thought. He turned to look at her and saw her big eyes staring at him.

"She took one of my books," he told her slowly, pushing a hand through his hair. "The one with instructions for summoning djinns."

"So...so it's..."

"Don't start crying," he ordered, pointing at her, seeing her blink quickly. She swallowed and nodded. "I don't need that shit right now." He rubbed his face and then nodded before ushering for her to stand up. He moved to his mirror and settled in the chair, staring into it intently. As it began to shimmer, Anzu arrived in the reflection. "Would you stop looking so fucking worried?" he said, turning to her. "Don't you trust me to know what I'm doing?" It had been nearly the third time he had asked for trust from her and after a pause, she nodded.

"Yes, I do," she said at last, "but that doesn't mean I'm not still afraid." He eyed her and she met his gaze steadily. It had been the first time that Bakura actually felt that they were allies, no longer butting heads. He gave a satisfied nod and then turned back to the mirror, which formed to show Yami, sleeping rather restlessly in bed. "Will he be safe?"

"For now," he said quietly. "If Mai is fighting against the djinn, which is what you suggest, then we will have to rely on her strength against it. The djinn is after power and if he is seeing it through Mai's perception, he will see that getting rid of Yami will help him obtain power." He paused and turned to look at her. "Do you love him?"

It had been one of the many times that Anzu had been asked if she loved Yami and while she was worried about him to the point where she was feeling sick, she wasn't sure if it was out of a true lover's affection or simple love. She blinked back the tears that threatened to form and quietly said, "I think I do. How could I feel so sad if I didn't love him?"

"It's called compassion, not love," he told her bluntly. She looked to him in surprise. "Sort of the way you felt earlier, hmm?"

She simply shook her head. Her feelings for Bakura were far more mixed and complicated than he seemed to think. She thought the ones she felt for Yami were straightforward, but perhaps they were just as mixed. "I do love him," she whispered stubbornly. "I must. I don't know what else to call it."

To that, Bakura said nothing.

_TBC_

X

DIS: Yayy...plot development and Bakura development! Well, in any case, please leave a review telling me how you think I did. If you don't want to leave a review, PM me, hit me up on dA, whatever it is you feel most comfortable doing. Hopefully the next update will be, uh, faster...Ciao!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Fifteen _

Yami woke early, before the rest of the castle had begun to stir. Rather than waking any of his servants, he wrapped himself in his robe and left his chamber, following the bit of light that was streaming through the curtains and the candles that were still burning. When he arrived at the doors of his destination, he paused, staring at them for a long moment, and then he pushed them open. For a moment, he merely stared at the empty, lone drawing room. The chambers were cold, devoid of any life. He moved across to the window and pulled the curtains back. The first light of sunrise poured into the room, lighting the soft colours, warming them. Rather than remaining in the drawing room of the chambers, he moved to the bedchambers. The balcony curtains were open, giving the sunlight freedom to enter as it wished.

A burdensome sadness fell upon Yami as he gazed around the cozy chamber. Rather than exiting as he ought to have, he moved to the bed and rested himself upon it, closing his eyes and breathing in. In spite of the time that Anzu had not lain in the bed, he could smell her cleansing soaps within the blankets, sweet lavender mixed with rosemary and the very hint of mint from her skin cream. He smoothed his hand over the pillow, staring across him without saying anything. He missed her immensely, consistently wishing to be with her every time he awoke. Every day he hoped to hear news from Isis or Otogi, but never once did any message reach him. Every night he slept restlessly, waking nearly every hour, worried for his young fiancée and the two he had sent after her. He felt as though he were living the days simply to survive, without any real comprehension of what was happening around him. _I miss you, Anzu. You were the only one who could calm my nerves...What am I to do without you?_

He heard a sound behind him and he sighed, sitting up, suspecting it to be a servant. He started in alarm, seeing Mai standing at the door. The same man that had answered the door that day Yami had sought her out remained next to her. He noticed that Mai was barely able to stand by herself, leaning against the man for support. She did not hold any malicious expression, nor any angered look. In fact, she looked merely very ill and a bit anxious. "Brother, I need to speak with you," she said, breathing a bit heavily from the effort of speaking.

"Take her in the drawing room," Yami told the dark figure, leaping to his feet. Her companion mutely guided her to the drawing room while Yami closed the bedchamber door and followed closely. He assisted the man in settling her on a divan. "Mai, what has happened to you? Have you sent for an apothecary?"

"Yami, please! I don't...I don't need an apothecary of all things." She paused, breathing deeply for a moment and then she took his shoulder, her eyes piercing his fiercely. "Listen to me...There is something wrong here in Kraion. Something..._unnatural_. You need to be on your guard." She flashed a desperate look to her companion, who merely put a clothed hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She nodded a bit unsteadily and looked to him again. There were dark circles under her eyes and she appeared to have lost a good deal of weight. Where Mai had looked gorgeous with her curvaceous body, she now was unhealthily thin and her hair lay limp on her shoulders. It was clear that she had not been taking as much care of her as she typically did. "Whatever this thing is, it's after you...you and father need to be protected. There is no one standing in the way of the throne but you two."

"Is that a threat?" Yami demanded, his eyes narrowing on her.

"No! It's not _me_, Yami, I swear by it!"

"Don't think that I don't know that you are the reason that Anzu is missing, Mai," Yami told her coolly, brushing her hand from his shoulder. "If you want the throne, then you'll have to kill me first. I don't appreciate you threatening me, either." He rose to his feet and turned his back on her. Mai stared after him, stunned, and then broke into sobs.

"WAIT!" she cried, rising to her feet and then crumpling to the ground. She sobbed pathetically, smashing her fists in the ground futilely. Yami paused and turned to look at her. "Why don't you believe me?" She slumped into the carpet, sobbing uncontrollably, her tiny form shaking with the effort of crying. The dark figure gathered her against him and set her upon the divan again, murmuring something in her ear that seemed to calm her. She wiped her face, sniffling, and giving her brother a questioning, despairing stare.

"I'm listening," Yami informed her at last, crossing his arms over his chest. "Make it quick."

"For the past week, I've been waking up to hearing noises in the royal suite. Every time, I lay awake, listening to it. At first, I thought it was just some animals about outside, but then it continued, all through the night. It never got closer or farther away. It was consistent. And then it happened the next night...and the night after that. It's painful." She put her hands to her temples. "It's frightening. And every night this happens, I wake up with some injury. At first, it was just a small cut, then bruises began to form on my body, more cuts, and every time I'm lying in a strange position, as if someone had moved me. There's something evil in Kraion. I thought that maybe if I returned to the castle it would help, so I slept here last night, but it happened again. Something's stalking me, Yami...It's going to kill me."

A chill went through Yami's body as he took note of her huge, frightened eyes. Mai was not acting for once. Her disposition did not give her a chance and it was clear by her voice that she was legitimately scared for her life. He was unsure of what she expected him to say. He had no reassuring words for her, let alone encouragement. Mai did not look the part of the princess at that moment and it was clear that her condition had worsened since he last saw her.

"What would you have me do?" Yami asked quietly at last. "I haven't any power...and there aren't any other sorcerers in Kraion besides yourself. And if there are, they have not allowed themselves to be known. And the only sorceress willing to help us from Hoshäi is in the forest with Anzu's brother..."

"You cannot call them back, either," Mai said, slowly lowering herself back into the divan, hanging her head back, breathing heavy. "I have tried to remove the barrier I put in the forest...but it is useless now. So little of my power remains in that barrier...it has been overtaken by that evil that is now in Kraion."

"What do we do?" he whispered, rubbing his face.

"The orb," the dark figure suddenly rasped. "What of the orb? Does this person from Hoshäi possess it?"

"She is the one who held it when I contacted her...but I am not sure that she would still have it with her..."

"Try."

"We will have to go to father's chambers."

"I will carry the princess and follow you," the hooded figure informed him. Yami nodded and watched as he gingerly gathered Mai in his arms. She cast a thankful look into the hood where the man's face must have been and soon enough, the trio were hurrying through the castle corridors to where Naten's chambers were. Yami did not bother with knocking, knowing his father to be out watching the training of their warriors. Inside, the chamber was quiet, with light streaming through the wide, open windows. Yami hurried to the cabinet where he knew the orb lay and once he had unwrapped it and settled it on the table in the chambers' drawing room, he looked to Mai and her companion in question. "Go, ask for the woman."

Yami drew in a deep breath and settled close to it, watching as the dark colours swirled. "Isis Ishtar," he murmured, feeling a bit uncertain as to whether she could hear him. He waited a moment longer and then looked to the other two.

"If she has it, then she may not be near it," Mai said breathlessly. She licked her lips and then raised a hand. "I can transfer the slightest bit of power through the orb, enough to gain her attention. Hold a moment, brother...it is a bit of an effort to even dip into my reserves..." She held her hand out towards the orb, trembling slightly. He saw the slightest stream of magic slip from her hand to the orb. A few seconds more and the stream thickened. Only after it was a few inches thick did she lower her hand, looking exhausted.

"Now we wait," the figure stated.

X

Bakura heard banging at his door. It was still quite early in the morning, so the sudden racket startled him. Glowering furiously and moving away from the potion he had been preparing to create, he yanked the door open. Otogi was pale and simply said, "Hurry! To the den!" and hastened away. Bakura blinked, surprised by his demeanor, and worried that something else had happened to further their less-than-joyful disposition, he snapped his door closed and followed him closely. Everyone was gathered in the den. On the table was a dark, marble orb that was pulsating. Isis was standing over it and when she saw him, she sat at the low table and touched it. "This is full of the Dark Arts. In Hoshäi, we use it to communicate with the other kingdoms and in different regions of our own kingdom because we are so large. I had thought that it would not function after we crossed the barrier..."

"Do you know if it's someone from Hoshai?" Otogi queried.

"No, that is not how the orb operates. Please, everyone settle behind me so that you may see into the orb." Everyone moved accordingly, with the three sorcerers bunched next to each other. Still a bit tense from their last argument, they exchanged suspicious looks before returning their attention to the orb. Anzu had settled directly next to Isis. "Speak the name of your location," Isis stated in her soft voice.

"Kraion," came a distinctly familiar voice before the orb cleared, showing Yami's face. Before anyone else could speak, however, Yami gasped, "Anzu!"

"Yami!" the princess lurched forward, as though she could touch him.

"Isis, you found her...I am so relieved."

"Yes, we were able to find the sorcerer, Bakura...along with two others." Isis moved aside so that Yami could see the three sorcerers in question. Bakura tensed as he was able to see into the orb more clearly. It was not the sight of Yami – or his and Anzu's disgusting reunion – that had unsettled him, but the sight of his young apprentice in the background. She, too, saw him, and their eyes locked for one brief moment. He could see too well what had happened to her.

"You stole my books, Mai," he said quietly.

"So I did," she murmured, breathing deeply, clearly struggling with the action. "It seems that I did not learn quickly enough what dangers there were in magic..."

"She believes that something is stalking her," Yami intercepted, to save Mai the effort of speaking. "She has been hearing noises, regardless of where she is sleeping, and when she falls asleep, she wakes with injuries and in odd positions. She thinks that they are after my father and I. I haven't detected anything thus far, but Mai insists upon it. We are completely defenseless here in Kraion. If it is magic that we are up against, then I have no way of combating it."

"No, you don't," Isis agreed. "This is nothing I have ever heard of...Not in the realm of magic. There are many evil things in the Dark Arts, but most creatures are very forthcoming when they are going to harm you. They do not usually perform these types of actions. Malik? Any ideas?"

"I would agree with your assessment, sister," Malik said mildly as Yami's eyes switched to him, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. "There is nothing I know of that acts in that way."

"But Bakura knows," Mai whispered. "Don't you...Bakura?"

Once again, Bakura felt her eyes on his and it reminded him of a darker time when he had been struggling in his life, feeling his magic drain from him, feeling every day become more of an effort. Her eyes looked just as his had when he would look into the mirror. Lifeless, defeated, and terribly exhausted. "I told you to not meddle in that realm of the djinn, Mai," he said instead. "You were stupid to not heed me."

"I thought I could handle it."

"And you released one from its contract, even." Bakura nodded to the hooded figure. Yami whipped around, fairly horrified as the figure merely inclined his head.

"Lord Sorcerer," was all the djinn said to him.

"To release a djinn from its contract is unheard of...," Isis said, looking to Bakura worriedly. "Could that have triggered it?"

"Even through the orb I can tell that one is not as powerful as the one that Mai is having trouble with...That one, I think, is one that not even she has spoken to. I have a feeling that while you were summoning this one, the other managed to slip through. There are many that lurk outside the line between the human and demon realm and will try to escape. Many cannot handle that feat without the help of a sorcerer or sorceress and her magic. But clearly this was not the case with this one."

"But why would a djinn be after the throne?" Yami demanded.

"Because djinns have no concept of anything by themselves. They develop these concepts through the humans they are attached to. This one wasn't attached to Mai, but she is the human who opened the barrier, and so it attached itself to her concepts. What she thinks power is, is what the djinn will think power is. By that, he will think that power is the throne that Mai seeks. However, all of those injuries you are experiencing, Mai, are his way of draining your own life source. He has already drained the majority of your arts – your magic – through mental injuries, which is why you may have experienced becoming sick at first, why performing any small spell became an issue for you. Now, he is trying to kill you. But your life source always rejuvenates itself. If you want to live, you will have to try and work to increase your rejuvenation. It doesn't take anything but the will to live."

"But how can she get him off of her?"

"By going into that realm and allowing him to escape, she has made an unspoken contract with him," Bakura told him frankly. "The end of his contract is either of their deaths."

"Demons are not simple creatures," Malik added, "especially not the powerful ones."

"This is horrible," Yami murmured in the silence that followed. He sat back, putting his face in his hands. "This is absolutely horrible...Why would there even be any way to get into that realm if this could happen?"

"It is one of the many drawbacks of the Dark Arts," Bakura remarked.

"If I came there...inside the barrier...we could defeat him," Mai spoke at last. "He would be surrounded by sorcerers."

"But if he was working outside the barrier – " Otogi began anxiously.

"He wouldn't," Bakura abruptly cut in. "Even djinns have a limitation for how close they can be to cause harm."

"I do not like the idea of the prince remaining in Kraion alone," Isis said. "What if he does not follow Mai and goes after Yami instead?"

"Before he can do anything else outside of Mai, he has to kill her first. There is a reason why he has been putting his power inside the barrier and these things that Mai is related to. He will go after her before anything else. He has no choice. It is part of this unspoken contract, if you will. The one from whom his concepts are derived must be defeated before he can continue on his own devices."

"He won't kill me," Mai said firmly.

"Then Mai is going to be moved to you?" Yami queried, frowning.

"Yes. While that is happening, we will still be working on the barrier. Now that we have a better idea of what type of magic inside it, we should be able to work against it more efficiently."

"And how am I to trust you, Bakura? I'll be sending my sister to you, my fiancée is already trapped with you – "

"Your _fiancée _would have been dead had we not picked her up and treated her wounds," Bakura snapped irritably.

"You expect me to believe that you took her in from the goodness of your heart?" Yami spat back temperamentally. Mai turned her eyes to him, appearing somewhat exasperated with her brother's sudden turn of mind.

"Looks like they get to fight over her after all," Malik muttered to Seto, who merely rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't aware there was a competition," Seto grunted.

"There _isn't_ a competition," Otogi told him, glaring at Malik. "My sister is engaged to Yami and that's that."

"As if engagements haven't been broken off," Malik quipped.

"If you've laid one finger on her – " Yami began indignantly.

"Yami, please!" Anzu spoke up, embarrassed. "This isn't the time...Bakura and his, um, companions have taken very good care of me. Truly." Yami cast them a suspicious look and then nodded slowly.

"Alright. Fine...In any case, I will be sending Mai along to you. In the meantime, I will try to see if there are no other sorcerers that we can get help from. I do not feel that I will be successful...but I have to try somewhere."

"Prince," Otogi spoke up. "I know...this may sound strange...but I would ask my mother." Yami blinked, surprised. "I cannot absolutely say that she has magic in her, but from time to time, it has seemed as such. I'm not powerful enough to sense magic when it is being masked...but I do believe that she may possess some. She may be able to help somehow."

"I will consider it," Yami agreed. "If I need anything else...or have any news, I will be sure to send word through this. Thank goodness you had it, Isis."

"I am also thankful, Prince Yami. This has brought a great deal of insight."

"Anzu..." Yami leaned in closer to the orb. "I miss you. I am so glad to see that you are safe. I wish I could hold you."

_Ugh_. Bakura and Malik exchanged disgusted looks.

Anzu blushed and then glanced behind her nervously before mumbling shyly, "I miss you too, Yami."

"We shall see you soon, princess," Isis said to Mai, who nodded faintly. And with that, the orb had gone black again and Isis was wrapping it. She stood and then cleared her throat, saying, "I felt that was getting a bit uncomfortable for all of us," and then left the room to put away the orb.

"No kisses goodbye?" Bakura queried snidely. Anzu frowned at him.

"Knock it off," Seto drawled. "Jealousy doesn't suit you."

"_Jealousy?_" Bakura roared, instantly infuriated.

Anzu hastily escaped the den, leaving the cottage so that she might get some fresh air and have some time to think. It was hard to process all the information that had been delivered in that short conversation. She understood now why Malik and Seto had been so angry with Bakura.

She glanced back at the cottage, hearing the shouts of Bakura's and Malik and Otogi's laughter. She smiled slightly and then jogged the last stretch to the small cabin where Seto spent most of his time constructing potions. She shut the door quietly behind her and sighed, closing her eyes, allowing the scent of the herbs and powders to fill her nose. She settled on a chair and thought again at the conversation._ Bakura clearly experienced being...well, possessed, by a djinn before. There's no other possible explanation for why he would know all that when nobody else had a clue except for Mai. And what did she mean, that she should have listened to him? There's something more to all of this that's going on than he's letting on...I wish he'd just tell us, rather than hide it all away. But really, he offered the information...it's not like we need to know where he gained the information._

Ending the topic in her mind, Anzu moved to one of the shelves and pulled out a weed that she knew well. She only knew how to make a few potions, but those that she did know, she felt would help Mai not only increase her rejuvenation, but hopefully put some more color in her, as it seemed that she hadn't eaten much. It was strange that she should feel such worry for a woman that had put her in the position she was in, but Anzu could not feel spiteful towards Mai, no matter how poorly the princess had treated her.

While working, Anzu became vaguely aware of how quiet it had gotten around her. The cottage was no longer full of the loud noises from the sorcerers and with the fall of darkness, the forest seemed to grow quieter. Anzu had finished two of her potions and when she could no longer work by the light of the candle, she cleaned the mess she had on the work table and collected her potions. As she took her candle to guide her across to the cottage, she paused, feeling itchy between her shoulder blades. Rather than looking behind her, though, she stepped out of the cabin, shutting the door behind her, and sprinted to the cottage. The sound of the grass hissing behind her made her aware that she had, in fact, felt eyes upon her in the cabin and only once she had burst into the kitchen, startling the occupants, did she feel safe.

"Anzu!" Isis rose to her feet, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I...I think so," she gasped. She set her potions on the table and then turned, staring out the kitchen door. Outside, the clearing was calm and empty, with no evidence of the creature that she had heard behind her. Malik had paused in his cooking, but it was Bakura who came and stood next to her by the door. He peered outside for a long while and then gathered something in his hand and tossed it outside. The creamy mist floated along the grass and settled there, showing Anzu's small footprints and large, jagged footprints that were close on her heel. They stopped right outside the kitchen door, nearly on top of Anzu's.

"I would prefer you not to wander around outside anymore at night by yourself, princess," Bakura said as the mist and the footprints faded. "My barrier only keeps the animals out," he shut the door, looking at her, "not demons."

"What about inside?" Anzu asked, shaking slightly from seeing the set of monstrous footsteps following her own.

"The cottage is another matter entirely. You'd be surprised how demons loathe being in our cramp quarters. In any case, Mai is upstairs. She arrived some time ago. I had to add another goddamn room for another goddamn occupant...I was pretty happy when it was just three people living here. No demons, no barriers, just freedom." Bakura then left the kitchen, with the air of someone unperturbed by the previous event. Anzu, for her part, merely licked her lips and asked if one of the Ishtars would heat her potions. Isis obliged, although with a worried look upon her face.

Anzu left the siblings to go upstairs and when she found the unfamiliar bedroom, she knew it to be Mai's. She knocked on it and it slid open to reveal a bald, unsightly creature. Anzu stared, frightened.

"This is my djinn," Mai murmured from the bed. "He's quite loyal and safe. Don't worry." Anzu nodded jerkily and then passed him, approaching her bed.

"I made you some herbal potions. I think they might help you." Mai eyed her and then took one of them, opening the top and sniffing. She smiled at the fresh, cooling smell and then took a drink. It warmed her throat and relaxed her frazzled nerves. "Seto taught me how to make these. I'm sure I did everything right. He can only teach me the ones that don't require magic...he's already instilled magic in all the herbs within the cabin, so that I could practice and make potions for everyone."

"You've done really well," Mai said and the more she drank, the less effort it seemed to take to breathe. The eucalyptus in the potion seemed to soothe her lungs and release the tension that had been gripping her. "I haven't been able to make potions for myself and my djinn...his fingers cannot do much of the delicate operations that is necessary with many of the herbs."

Once Mai had finished the first potion, Anzu retrieved her jar and then bade her to drink the other, watching her to make certain she finished every last drop. This spicy potion gave Mai a blush in her cheeks and the more she drank, the more colour that arrived in her skin tone. Anzu reminded herself to make more tomorrow, although at a much earlier time and with Seto beside her. Even after Mai had finished both, Anzu remained seated beside her bed. "Mai?" The older princess turned to her in question. "I don't want you to think that nobody likes you here." Mai raised her eyebrows mildly. "We don't have any bad feelings towards you at all. I mean...even I understand your motivation. I don't understand what it feels like, but I know that you were never treated as fairly as Yami. Even I could tell that Yami was everyone's favorite. But...at the same time, I always admired you.

"Me?"

"Yes...you were always so eloquent and beautiful. I felt completely awkward whenever I was in the same room as you."

"But you are the fairest lady," Mai told her softly. "Everyone loves you, not only because of your beauty, but because of your heart. You should not forgive me for what I've done to you, Anzu. I don't deserve it and I don't promise that I won't betray any of you once this is over."

"I know...," Anzu said slowly, "but I want to believe that you're a good person." Strangely, rather than thinking of Mai, Anzu thought of Bakura, of the reluctance to trust him. It had taken her far longer to trust Bakura than anyone else. Perhaps Mai knew where her thoughts were – or she had read her mind, if that was possible – because she gave a small smile.

"He was the only one I knew I could trust," she said, causing Anzu to colour slightly. "There's more to him than just a sorcerer...but he would rather have the world hate him than admit that he's like every other man in the world, with dreams and hopes and past miseries. Whatever happened to him was bad. I never once judged him and it was what allowed me to become his apprentice."

Anzu gave an awkward sort of smile and then tucked the covers around her, retrieving her jars and leaving Mai to rest. She returned downstairs to wash her jars to find that the others were trailing into the kitchen to eat. Malik left to offer Mai some food and returned to fix himself his own meal. Dinner that night was mostly silent, each of them in their own thoughts. At the end of the night, once Anzu had retired to her bed, Isis had come to her bedroom with the orb in hand.

"Yami wishes to speak to you...without anyone around," she explained and set the orb on Anzu's bed. "Just return it to me when you're done. I'll be in my room." Anzu thanked her and then settled on the bed, her eyes meeting her fiancé's. It was strange to see his face again when she had not seen it in so long.

"Did Mai arrive safely?" he asked.

"Yes, she did. We gave her some potions so as to help her. It seems that she hasn't had the opportunity herself, so it was good for her." Yami nodded slowly.

"Anzu...I want you to know that I've never forgotten you for a moment. I have always been trying to find you, to find some way to you. I don't want you to think that I ever abandoned my search for you."

"Oh, Yami...I know you haven't."

"And...I am sorry that you are stuck with Bakura. He is a vile man. I wish that you did not have to suffer him."

"He's...not that bad, Yami. He's been very respectable." She knew she was stretching the truth, but she hated to hear him called such names.

Her fiancé looked puzzled, but inclined his head. "Very well...then I'll think no more of it." He sighed, bowing his head. "It has been unbearable here without you. Everyone has been most concerned about you. Most have given up on believing that you are still alive. But I knew...I knew that if I did not see you dead, that you must have been alive somewhere. I had to hope that you would have stumbled into Bakura. If not, I knew there was no possibility of finding you in such a large area." He paused. "This wasn't how I imagined this conversation...I had hoped to say something more meaningful, but I...I just don't know what to say." He stared at her, his eyes sad. "I miss you, Anzu...I've missed you every day."

Anzu gave a sad smile. "I've missed you, too. I dreamt of you, of being back in Kraion, and just having a regular conversation."

His own mouth turned upward slightly. "I don't want to talk too long. I just...I needed to tell you that. I wanted to say it earlier, but there were so many other things that needed to be dealt with." He drew in a deep breath. "But...I promised father I would not use this too often. I've explained everything to him. He is very happy that you're safe and sound. I have to go, though, Anzu."

"Ah! Yami..."

"Yes?"

"I...I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too. Be safe."

The orb went black and for a long time, Anzu stared at it, wondering why she felt a sudden dread fall on her heart. Shaking her head, she collected the orb in its cloth and left her room to return the orb. She knocked on Isis's door and entered. Anzu was startled to see Seto in the room with the sorceress. Isis smiled from the seat at the desk and ushered her inside. Seto was standing beside the desk, looking somewhat irritable.

"Is anything wrong?" Anzu asked, shutting the door.

"There habe been sounds in the den," Seto said flatly. "Malik's in Mai's room with the djinn. Bakura, presumably, is in his bedchambers on the other side of the cottage. It's just as Mai described it. They've been consistent, always the same length and always the same sounds." Anzu felt her body go cold with fear.

"But what about Bakura? If he goes into the den – "

"That's what we were discussing," Isis explained. "We felt it would be wiser if Bakura were to remain on this side of the cottage while this is happening. If he goes into the den, he will be on the other side of it and he may not be able to defend himself. Seto suggested the two of us go and retrieve him, just for tonight, but that would also require we go through the den."

"I don't think he'd appreciate it..." Anzu admitted quietly.

"Likely not," Seto grunted, "but with the wealth of information he has on this subject, it wouldn't be wise for him to be alone, either."

"It may be better to leave it for tonight and then ask him tomorrow," Anzu said. "I don't think he'll do anything tonight yet."

Seto looked displeased by this, but slowly nodded, trusting her judgment. "Alright...but I don't want you moving through the house by yourself, Anzu. Let us take you back to your room."

"I think I'd rather like to sleep with Otogi for tonight..."

They nodded agreeably and after Isis had stored the orb, the three moved through the hallway to Otogi's room, where Anzu was deposited. Otogi locked the door and the two of them settled into his bed, with each other's feet at the other's head. "It's funny how we would cuddle up together when were children, but once you have sex, you can't even imagine sleeping that way with your sister," Otogi had remarked at the time.

Anzu had not heard any of the noises that Seto had described at the time, but after falling asleep, she was awaken by the sudden sound of creaking somewhere in the cottage. Blearily, she raised her head, listening to the sound of creaks. Her eyes widened when she heard a particularly loud one and she ducked beneath the covers again. She listened to the sound and that same loud creak sounded several other times, always at the same time. "Otogi?" she whispered.

"I hear it, too," he whispered in return.

The siblings remained still in bed, listening to the creaking. Only when their eyes became too tired did they close them. Otogi drifted back into sleep, but Anzu remained awake, opening her eyes every so often. Once, she had been sure the shadows in the room had shifted, which caused her to clench her eyes closed again. Only when the sky turned blue and the creaks had subsided did she fall back asleep, exhausted and frightened.

Only a few hours later, Anzu was awoken by Otogi kicking her in the forehead trying to get out of bed. He glanced at her in apology, but was padding across the floor. It was then that Anzu could hear voices upstairs. She tossed her blankets aside, as well, and hurried out of the room after her brother. As she stepped out into the hallway, however, something wet connected with her feet. She looked down and gasped, stumbling backwards in horror.

"...the purpose of it?" she heard Malik grumbling. "Other than to make us have to clean it out of the wood?"

"I'm not sure," came Mai's hesitant voice. It was clear that she had not been harmed during the night, as she appeared to have a stronger voice than before, as if she had finally been able to sleep through the night. Anzu lifted her nightgown up and splashed through the puddle of blood to Mai's room, where she halted in the doorway. There was a dead elk hanging outside the window, its eye staring through the window. Malik was hanging outside the window, disconnecting the animal from it. There was a sickening thud as it hit the ground outside. Bakura was standing in the middle of the room, disheveled, rubbing his messy hair. He glanced at Anzu when she paused in the room and then frowned at her.

"Go back to bed," he said.

"How did that elk get hung up outside the window when you were in here the entire time, Malik?" Anzu asked, ignoring Bakura, whose eyes narrowed.

"Fuck if I know," he flippantly said, having pulled himself back inside the room. "The thing was mauled. It looked like it feasted on the animals rather than Mai and, pissed off, decided to pour its blood all over the place. Otogi, give me a hand in cleaning this all up, will you? And Anzu, go clean your feet off, your tracking footprints everywhere."

"Those aren't mine," she said, pointing at the set that was clearly Otogi's. Malik scowled at him and then waved his hands to have him get out. Malik grabbed a towel from the cupboard in the room and tossed it at him.

"Clean your feet off and go find the boots in the closet downstairs so that we can clean this up without making a mess, will you? Oh, and get some mops and pails, too."

Bakura had grabbed boots himself before he had entered into the bloody hallway and now proceeded to put them back on and picked up Anzu, who gave in indignant squawk. He then took them off again at the end of the puddle and returned to Anzu's bedroom. With one hand, he started a hot bath and then started the fire with a flick of his fingers. "You splashed blood all over your night dress," he said, setting her on the tub so that her feet were in the water, where the blood was washed off. "Take it off."

"I can undress myself!" Anzu told him, hugging herself. He raised an eyebrow.

"Suit yourself. Wouldn't want your fiancé to think I'm a "vile man," would we?"

Anzu sent him a furious look. "You listened to my conversation!"

"Of course, I did. Did you really think that I was going to let Isis hand that over to you so that you two could speak privately? I don't trust that weasel of a prince and I don't need a spy. Thankfully, he dropped the subject of me pretty quickly, didn't he?" Anzu flushed, angry and humiliated, remembering the tender words that Yami had spoken to her and the words that she had said in return. "Princess, I don't need you to defend me." He put a hand on the bathtub, leaning against it, but she stared into the water stubbornly. He took a hold of her chin and turned her face to his. "I don't care about any of the shit he had said to you or vice versa. I don't care about that. But I'm also not interested in you making me out to be a great guy, as if I take such good care of you when we both know I don't. If you want to tell him the truth, do it. Don't lie about it."

"I'm not lying," Anzu said quietly. "Yami wouldn't make me spy on you even if I had said you were terrible. He's not like that. And you _have_ treated me well. If you'd just learn to stop having such an attitude when people disagree with you, nobody would think you're such a...such a...such a bastard!" She said it with such vehemence that he released her chin and not balancing herself, Anzu went tumbling into the water. She sputtered, surprised, and lurched back up, dripping wet. Bakura's merely raised an eyebrow mildly, folding his arms over his chest. Blushing, she simply raised her chin and stared back at him defiantly.

"That's where you're mistaken," he said at last. "I'm quite the bastard. You just want to convince yourself differently." He then turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Anzu slid back down into the tub and then stared down at herself. Her night dress was completely transparent when it was wet.

_How embarrassing..._

_TBC_

X

DIS: Sorry for the delay in this, guys, but I managed to at least get something up. And at least there's more going on as opposed to lately. In any case, please leave a review on your way out, telling me how you liked it, what you didn't like, etc. Ciao!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_Chapter Sixteen_

Isis was not blind to the many intricate relationships that had developed in the cottage. While she set up some complex defense spells on Mai's room, she glanced behind her as Bakura exited Anzu's bedroom. His eyes met hers as he carefully closed the door, but neither of them said anything. Isis watched him for a moment, noticing his tense body and as always, she wondered what it was about the princess that caused the dark sorcerer to become so quiet. She turned away and returned to the spell. Besides Anzu's and Bakura's relationship, she knew that the other sorcerers were similarly bound to the princess, regardless of whether they wished to be. In spite of it, however, she was not certain that they would be unable to betray her. Her brother, she felt, appeared conflicted between his friendship with Bakura and what appeared to be a genuine gratitude towards Anzu, whereas Seto, she felt, would remain faithful to Anzu, although for far more innocent reasons. She suspected that he, being the eldest of the group, merely felt protective. Why, she was neither sure, nor was she interested, but she knew that the ways in which the relationships had developed in the cottage were not at all what had been expected when Anzu was taken in.

"Thank you, Otogi," Isis said quietly to the male that had been standing at the edge of the room, holding a piece of the spell for her. She made the finishing mark and then inclined her head to him to indicate that his part would remain. He hesitantly lowered his hands and appeared relieved. Mai was sitting in bed, watching them, her eyes following the delicate threads of the spell until the disappeared, sinking into the room. "I appreciate your help."

"I should be thanking you, Isis," he responded. "I have never had the opportunity to watch such spells performed. Obviously I would be unable to do it by myself after having only seen it once, but I do feel that it was a good learning experience." She smiled at this.

"Yes, I think you would be able to learn them after some practice and teaching."

"It is nothing that I have ever seen before," Mai spoke up, startling Otogi. Isis turned to meet her gaze. Unlike the others within the cottage, Isis had no predisposed opinion of the princess of Kraion. She had never met her, nor had she any receive to find any disprove in her. While she knew that it was due to Mai's mischief that Anzu was within the Forest of Dim and Isis, along with the others, could not leave the forest, she felt no anger towards her. Every human felt a desire for revenge, to prove themselves worthy, and Mai was like no one else. Bakura, Isis knew, felt only that Mai had tampered in an art for which she was not prepared. She knew, however, that those like Otogi, Anzu, and Yami were wary of her intentions. Isis could not help but think that, had the people in the other kingdoms taught their subjects the value of the dark emotions that humans possess, there would not be such a great divide between those who used them to their advantage and those who suppressed them. It was, Isis imagined, one of the reasons that Hoshäi was so well united and the other kingdoms often found civil wars upon them.

"The Dark Arts often possess many ancient and unknown spells, spells that were passed down through teaching, rather than through books. There are very few books that those in Hoshäi will allow outside of the kingdom and very few spells that are allowed to be written down, especially when it comes to defense spells. We would not like others to use them...we would find it very difficult when and if war ever were to occur."

"I have always admired your people," Mai remarked, her eyes drifting from where the threads had been, meeting Isis's gaze. "To have the same mind as each other...what a world that would be."

"It is a dangerous place, too," she cautioned, "but we do not have the problems that your people do. And we certainly can fend for ourselves individually rather than depend upon soldiers to protect us." Mai nodded and her eyes drifted over to where Otogi was standing and Isis saw that he was frowning, appearing more than a bit unsettled by the conversation. Isis gave a small smile, sensing that Otogi was unaccustomed to such frank conversation about Hoshäi. Indeed, from what she knew, Hoshäi was not a well-received topic within the other kingdoms. "Come, prince," she said to Otogi, "we have much to do today."

They left the cottage, arriving at the barrier, where Malik was already situated at. He had a tall, marble pole that was embedded in the grass, with three other similar poles lying upon the ground. He glanced at them, but did not pause in the threads that he was creating in the air. At the pole were where all the threads connected and allowed them to remain alive without sinking into the barrier, where they were being placed. Her brother was not constructing a spell that she knew and was curious as to how complicated he expected it to become, with the many juncture-poles he had with him. "It is a mere precaution," Malik said to his sister, as though reading her mind. "The spell that I'm doing isn't one that I've ever performed myself and it's far more complicated. I want to be able to separate the layers so that if it doesn't work the way it is _supposed_ to work, I can go back through each layer and determine where I may have constructed the marks wrong."

"I see..." Malik did not appear as though he intended on informing her of the spell that he was building, so instead she asked, "What would you like us to do, brother?"

"I would appreciate if you could show Otogi how to keep the threads and us from failing, from losing too much energy, and then I'd like you to construct a few defense spells and twine them around this juncture-pole." He fell silent for a brief second. "If you wouldn't mind," he added as an afterthought.

"Of course not," she said quietly. "Otogi? Are you ready?"

"Yes," he nodded, his face lighting up a bit. She stifled a smile. He was an eager learner and it was clear that he, like his sister, wanted to do whatever was possible to be helpful. She slowly showed him what he needed to do, how to switch from them to the threads, and after a few failed attempts that took a little over an hour, he had finally gotten a hold of it.

"Make sure to alternate every thirty minutes," she told him. "If you don't, you can snap the threads from too much energy and to repair them could take a good deal of time. Malik and I can also suffer from too much energy becoming channeled into us."

"Alright," he nodded firmly.

"You'll do wonderfully," Isis told him, smiling, and after he returned her smile with his own, she turned from him and stood opposite of the juncture-pole from where Malik was standing and began to construct her first defense spell.

X

The cottage was silent and mostly empty by the time Anzu had finished bathing and dressing. She peeked into Mai's room to find her sleeping. Her djinn merely glanced at her, but made no move towards her. After determining that their house guest was safe and her room adequately cleaned, Anzu went downstairs to find it empty. She sighed. She would have liked to make some more potions, what with everyone occupied, but she was afraid to go outside to the storage shed in fear of being watched again. Instead, she occupied herself with starting a fire in the fireplace, as it was rather cold in the den. As she was blowing on the wood, encouraging it to start, she suddenly felt the skin on her neck tingle. She paused and then slowly turned her head, fearful that nobody would be there. Instead, it was Bakura, who merely raised an eyebrow at her. In spite of herself, her heart seemed to skip a beat as their eyes met. She was awash in shame, recalling how she had stood up in her transparent gown that morning. He did not appear all too concerned with that or if it had even come to mind, he was far better at keeping it quiet than she was.

"I would take a step back from the fireplace, if I were you," he said. She frowned and then did as asked. He raised a hand and her sputtering fire blazed brightly. He lowered his hand and then turned his eyes back to her. She realized how exhausted he looked and she hesitated before standing, smoothing her dress out.

"Bakura, would you mind...accompanying me to the storage shed so I can get some things to make potions in here. I'm not all that inclined to do it out there by myself. I'd rather do it in the cottage." He looked thoughtful and then nodded, leading the way into the kitchen. She followed him outside, silent and feeling decidedly awkward. Once they arrived in the storage shed, she felt his heavy silence more than ever and his eyes appeared to remain on her back the entire time. Their previous conversation remained stuck in her head and, in spite of her stubborn belief in her feelings towards Yami, the kiss that had been forced on her kept seeping into her head. At last, she said in an irritated voice, "Do you mind not staring at me the entire time?"

"No," Bakura stated simply, "is it unnerving you?" He sounded faintly amused. Gnashing her teeth together, she whipped around to snap at him, but was startled at his close proximity. The herbs in her hands slipped away and she fumbled for them, but they fell to the floor regardless. Somewhat distraught, as she was unsure of what had fallen, and feeling more than a bit anxious at being caught in the small space that she was caught in with the sorcerer, Anzu tried – and failed – to find a way out of her current situation. "I've come to a conclusion about you, Anzu."

"Have you?" she asked, taking tiny steps to the side, so as to put some distance between them.

He smirked suddenly, causing her to halt in her steps. "You're lying to yourself about Yami. You don't love him, and I don't think you ever really did."

"What are you talking about, Bakura? Of course, I love him! He's –"

"Your fiancé," he finished for her. "Yes, obviously, but that's neither here, nor there, is it? How do you know you love him?" He raised his eyebrows at her and stepped closer, leaning a hand against the work table, his face a mere few inches from hers. Anzu clutched the herbs to her chest and raised her eyes to his. His misty blue-gray eyes were intense, his face tilted slightly as he considered her. "Have you cried several nights in a row because you missed him? Was he the only one that could ever make you feel better? Out of all the men in the world, is he the only one that you've ever wanted? Or was it simply that you enjoyed talking to him, spending time with him? Because if it's the latter, I have news for you...that's _friendship_, princess. He is willing to go to the ends of the earth for you...but are you?"

"I don't...I don't..."

"You don't know?" Bakura suggested, giving a sharp smile. "Let me ask you this...are you attracted to him? Have you ever truly wanted him?"

To this, Anzu was silent, her eyes lowered to her hands.

"I didn't think so."

"Why do you even care?" she asked at last. "You're just _enjoying_ doing this, aren't you?" Her eyes darted to his, angry at him suddenly. "Why does it matter whether I love him or not? I care about him and I _am_ going to marry him. I certainly don't want any other man. Yami is the kindest and most perfect person I've ever known. He's never done anything bad. He's always concerned for everyone around him, even his sister, who has treated him like scum. I can learn to love him that way, even if I don't right now!" Anzu's furious words caused Bakura's mouth to slip down into a frown. There was a pregnant pause where they stared at each other, both equally enraged by the other's words.

"You really fucking piss me off," he said quietly at last. She was startled when he took her head in his hands, tilting her head back, pressing closer to her. She was suddenly aware of how her body was trembling, but not out of fear. "Ever since you came here, you've been pushing your luck. If you'd been any other woman, I would have killed you in an instant. Don't think," he added in a sharper tone, "that just because I _haven't_ that I actually care about what happens to you, because I could care less."

"Then...then why bother?"

A strange look crossed his face and then a corner of his mouth tilted upward. "It must be because you _do _piss me off so much." Anzu was able to blink once before his mouth was on hers, insistent and demanding. This time, in spite of all the body tremors she was experiencing, she did not reject him. She dropped her herbs carelessly and curled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. Anzu was an innocent and had no idea what was happening. She knew enough from Mai's teasing instructions, but words and experiences were two completely different things. Bakura's hands drifted from her head, across her small shoulders and down to the swell of her hips, where his fingers splayed, pulling her against him, fitting her lower body in the crevice of his legs. His body warmed hers, almost to a point where she felt on fire. She clung to him, drowning in the sensation, barely aware of anything outside of them. His tongue slipped along her lips, testing, and when her lips parted, curious, his tongue slid in, touching hers. Uncertain, she raised hers to his and when she did he released a low growl in his throat, his hands tensing on her body. In a moment, he withdrew from her, his mouth burning a trail along her jawline and to her throat. As his lips moved, so did his hands, pushing her dress up, pressing her harder against the work table. It bit into her, but Anzu could have cared less.

"Bakura," she whimpered, digging her nails into his neck as his hand found bare flesh, slipping up her thigh and the silky skin that lied there. Even Anzu was aware of where his hand intended to go. As soon as this fact dawned on her, she blinked blearily and then gasped, abruptly shoving him away and darting as far from him as she could. Bakura, for all his usual grace, stumbled a bit, clearly not expecting the assault.

"What the hell, woman!" he snapped as his elbow struck a shelf.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" Anzu snapped in returned, smoothing her dress out, feeling her face warm.

"Oh, no you don't!" As she dashed towards the door, he found himself there before her. "Don't you fucking toy with me."

"I'm not! I didn't want that! You – "

"I did nothing," he interrupted. He chuckled, shaking his head. His eyes were dark as he surveyed her. "I gave you what you wanted, you took it gladly. Don't act naïve, Anzu..." She realized that, once again, she had backed herself against something. He trapped her there and she wished she could have pushed him away when he kissed near her ear. She shuddered as his tongue darted out, tracing her lobe and then capturing it with his teeth. "You can fight all you want, but you're mine."

"You're repulsive," she whispered, whipping around to glare at him. He merely raised an eyebrow at her. She pushed away from him and this time, he let her go.

Bakura remained in the storage shed, leaning against the work table and staring up at the ceiling. He sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair, pulling it from his face. He had been reckless and knew it. He had been trying to reign in his desire for that obnoxious princess for the past few days, but when he had gotten his first taste of her, he knew immediately that he was doomed. The rejection had stung a bit and when she had arrived at his room that night, he had been stressed and had she even indicated that she was entertaining less innocent thoughts about him, he was certain that he would have taken her there. But she had been nervous and afraid, which caused him to lash out more so than he ought to have. As for today, he knew a woman's body well enough to know when she was interested. Apparently, Anzu had yet to learn what her own body wanted.

"Fuck it," he muttered beneath his breath and gathered the herbs she had dropped and after going through them and determining which potions she intended on making, he gathered the remaining things she needed and left the storage shed. In spite of his arrogance, Bakura was a bit shaken up by the incident. It had been a long time since he'd even been attracted to another woman. Granted, he had found the princess rather annoying and far too stubborn in the beginning, but she had grown on him. When she had challenged him after Seto had led her to the exit of the forest, he had admired her will. He had thought that it was mere respect that he had begun to hold for her, but was rather irritated that attraction followed soon after. He was unaccustomed to such feelings after such a long time and as he walked to the cottage, he was irritably aware that his hands were shaking somewhat.

_Fucking women,_ he thought angrily. _It's no wonder I gave up on them. _Stupidly, he thought, _I need steady hands for potions. _As he entered the kitchen with this thought, he halted, frowning, before thinking, _"Steady hands for potions"? I'm a fucking idiot. _

He set the things from the storage shed on the table and glanced up as the door to kitchen opened. Mai gave a wan smile and then looked at the collection of herbs on the table. "Oh, are you making some rejuvenating potions?"

"I'm not," Bakura replied briskly. The djinn behind her was a silent follower, saying nothing. "I see you've gotten some of your strength back."

"Yes, thankfully I have," Mai agreed. "I'm hoping that soon enough, I'll be able to help the rest of you with the barrier. My power is not much right now...but if I can continue to get rest and the demon continues to be thwarted, I may just be able to get enough to do something."

"Well, if you have enough energy, you can work on these potions."

Her face lit up a bit and she looked at him cautiously, asking, "Can I? Do you mind?"

"No, no, go ahead," he said distractedly, wondering what he was going to do with Anzu. Mai settled at the table and Bakura stood there, staring ahead of him, frowning. He did not notice Mai's eyes on him, watching him carefully.

"My brother loves Anzu very much," she told him, bringing him from his thoughts. "They have always been close, even as children. They were accepting of their marriage, but whereas Yami gradually felt love for Anzu, I think she was still unsure of what she wanted. Before I grew ill and Anzu was sent her, I was alone with her, giving her advice – on men and the bedroom, of course – and I don't think she knew what she wanted and it certainly did not sound like her and Yami were very amorous. You could claim her as your own without any problems."

"Exactly what makes you think that I want her as my own?" Bakura demanded, scowling at her.

"You were my teacher," she simply told him. "You've tried so hard to be the bad guy, but I always knew that you were suffering. You were lonely – you _are_ lonely – and you've finally found a girl that you seem to genuinely like. Not for the reasons that most men are attracted to a girl – wealth, power, beauty – but for the reasons that a man _should_ be attracted to a girl. You're meeting your match with her. Perhaps not in magic, but in other ways, and it intrigues you. I was only ever a foolish little student to you, someone who had no idea what they were getting involved in." She paused thoughtfully. "You were my idol. I thought that if I could become as powerful as you, maybe I could be happy."

"Even though you saw my unhappiness?" he queried.

"I thought it might be different with me. I wanted different things than you did. But...I'm even more unhappy than I was then...and I've made a mess of things."

"What's your point in all of this, Mai?"

"You like Anzu, don't you?" Before he could answer, Mai continued, "I'm not oblivious and neither is anyone else. You hate that she's so close to Malik and Seto, and yet it seems to be a struggle for her to trust you. You two have something different. You're always arguing with each other and yet she is always trying to care for Malik and Seto, just like she has always tried to care for my brother. That's all I really have to say. By the way, have you got a sharp knife so that I can cut these herbs?" Frowning, Bakura moved to where the cutlery was kept and handed the knife to her. She smiled. "Thank you." Bakura watched her cut the herbs for a moment and then left the kitchen, brooding upon what she had told him. He paused at the foot of the steps, considering them. After a moment, he turned away and continued on towards his chambers.

_I do _not _like her,_ Bakura told himself firmly. _She pisses me off._

_TBC_

X

DIS: I know, this was a bit of a short chapter, but the next chapter is totally off base as far as this, um...romance-centered chapter was, so I wanted to separate it. In any case, please review and let me know how you liked it, let me know if I need to fix anything and whatnot. Ciao!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_A/N: Thanks, as always, to my reviewers! I appreciate every bit of feedback. :)_

_Chapter Seventeen_

The following days proceeded without any event. The demon continued to harass the house with either leaving cryptic marks on the floors – which Seto irritably would fill in – and continue its unholy sounds downstairs. The three days that Malik, Isis, and Otogi were gone, the cottage was rather quiet and rather empty. Seto left during the day to allow them a break, bearing food and potions that Mai and Anzu caringly produced for them. He remained near the spells that Malik and Isis were constructing and, when needed, retrieved juncture-poles for the two. Otogi's bright eagerness had dimmed somewhat by the second day, as none of the three slept throughout the entire ordeal, as the spells they were constructing were still not done and, Malik had added at one point, were presumably done by far greater a number than a mere two people and never, he suspected, did they need someone to watch them to continue to renew them, and the spells.

At the cottage, Anzu remained in her bedroom, with the exception of when she and Mai would meet in the kitchen to make the potions for their working companions. Seto was given the mundane tasks and would retrieve their materials for them, just as he did for the three at the barrier. Mai never mentioned Bakura around Anzu, knowing too well that she was avoiding him, and Seto, noticing the tension between the two if Bakura so much as passed through the same room as her, remained quiet, as well.

While all involved knew that the routine was necessary, given the current circumstances, it had become wearisome and by the third day, when Malik, Isis, and Otogi entered the cottage kitchen, with Otogi looking particularly haggard and unwell, those present were relieved. Anzu and Seto had been sitting at the table, playing dice as a way of passing time since Mai was settled in bed, resting, and Bakura had locked himself in his room. "You look awful!" Anzu said to her brother, startled by his appearance. He gave her a wan smile as she went to him and cupped his face in her hands and then put one hand upon his forehead, as though to check him for a fever. Malik scowled at her gestures. "You go straight to bed after taking a hot bath," she ordered her brother.

"As if I were to do anything else," he said in a snippy tone, passing her to leave the kitchen. Malik and Isis remained, with Malik merely shaking his head when Anzu looked to him. The other two looked much better in comparison, with Malik appearing normal. It only occurred to her a moment after this observation that, given Malik's extreme lack of sleep anyway, this was not at all that surprising.

"Well?" Anzu asked, her brow furrowing, folding her arms across her chest. "Do you think it will help?"

"It is a slow process, Anzu," Isis told her, sighing gently. Seto rose to his feet and offered her a seat. She gave a thankful smile and then gestured, indicating that her brother ought to do the same. Malik took the seat willingly, stretching his legs out, flinching slightly from the stiffness he was experiencing. Absent-mindedly, Anzu reached down and rubbed his neck. "It is designed to eat away at the layers of the barrier. Each layer of spell that we've constructed does a different thing and it is all very complex. There are layers of defense spells that are interwoven with other spells. So while it appears to be a defense spell, really it is not. My brother and I have...never built something like this by ourselves before. It is not designed to be done by two people, let alone by one. As you can see, the entirety of it took far longer than is normal – or usually necessary. We cannot even be sure what it will do to a barrier of that magnitude, but I hope that it will break down some parts of it, so that we may be able to continue."

"Is it like a sickness?" Seto spoke up, after a moment. Anzu glanced at him and then down at Malik, rubbing her palms on his back. He released a sigh of contentment at her ministrations.

"Similar, yes," Isis conceded. "The barrier, we found, has layers and we believe that _our_ spells will break down and exhaust certain layers within the barrier. It will weaken it and as long as we keep an eye upon it, it will not have time to strengthen and we should be able to break it."

"And it cannot be recreated?"

"No, Mai's will would be needed for that, and I do not think she has such intentions."

"I agree," Anzu said, her thumbs stroking the back of Malik's neck. "I don't think that she would raise it again, even if she wanted to. I think being stuck in the forest is wearing on everyone, including her."

"Agreed," Malik mumbled, raising his head. Anzu removed her hands and ruffled his hair. He scowled at her and batted her and away. "I'm not a dog, you know."

"You sure act like one," was Anzu's smiling response. "I'm glad you guys are back." She leaned down and hugged Malik, who sent Seto an inquiringly look. The sorcerer merely shook his head slightly, a subtle indication that it was to be discussed later. Isis ignored the exchange entirely.

"So am I," Isis said. "As it is, I _am _weary and believe that I will take myself up to my room, as well, and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day, I believe, and we can relay our progress to Bakura. I'm certain that he will be interested in hearing it." Anzu released Malik from her hug at the mention of Bakura, but merely straightened up, frowning. Seto could already see the thought forming in her eyes: _Oh great, I have to see _him_ tomorrow. _

_I think I'll remind myself to serve her breakfast in her room tomorrow, _Seto thought to himself.

"I suppose we are done with our game?" Anzu asked of Seto.

"Yes...I think it would be best for you to get some sleep, Anzu. You were up early, after all." Once again, Malik appeared inquisitive, but everyone ignored him. Anzu smiled and nodded and hastened out of the kitchen, catching sight of Malik's intense stare. After Anzu had left and her footsteps had faded on the staircase, he turned his stare to Seto, who merely waved a hand and began to reset the game. Malik watched him warily and once the pieces were doled out accordingly, Malik was inclined to speak.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked at last. "And what was that?"

"As far as I understand, Anzu and Bakura are not speaking at the moment," Seto replied simply. "I've been busy and Mai can only handle so much exertion, so Anzu has been left to her own devices for the most part." He drummed his fingers on the table as Malik moved a piece after rolling the six-sided dice. "The one time that Bakura did come out here, Anzu ignored him and he seemed to be preoccupied with his own thoughts, so if he even noticed, it did not appear to bother him." Malik nodded slowly, frowning at this.

"And the other night?" Malik prompted.

Seto shifted uncomfortably, causing Malik's eyes to narrow upon him. "She was crying in her room rather early in the morning. Unfortunately, it woke up me up due to our close proximity and after awhile, it stopped, but then she crept out to the hallway and knocked on my door. I wasn't sure if that demon was still lurking out, given how early it was, so I let her inside." Seto appeared even more uncomfortable and was losing some of his composure. Malik continue to gaze at him, puzzled at his behavior. "She asked if she could sleep in my bed and, ah..." He hesitated, his eyes shifting towards the floor. "Well, I was still half-asleep and she wouldn't let me sleep on the floor, so she ended up laying in bed with me. She didn't tell me what she was upset about, but after I had drifted asleep, I woke up an hour or so later because she was crying." He paused. "It was an extremely awkward moment for me and I'd appreciate that it didn't get out to Bakura that she was in my bed with me. He's jealous enough to start ripping heads off."

Malik chuckled at this, but still felt a good deal of worry for the princess. He worried that Bakura may have done something out of the ordinary and not at all appropriate to her. He considered this for a moment, but then dismissed it. Bakura had an unpleasant character, but he knew his friend well enough to know that he did not have the type of personality that would perform such a thing. He trusted Bakura enough not to do this. After Malik had roused from these thoughts, he found Seto staring at him pointedly. "What?" he asked guardedly.

"You have to take care of her. I do _not_ want to handle that again." When Malik merely gave him a blank look, Seto continued, "You know that you deal with this sort of thing better. And she trusts you more than me."

"I highly doubt that," was Malik's wry response. However, with a sigh, he abandoned their game and mumbled to himself, "Always has to be me...," and Seto gave a satisfied smirk. Malik flashed him a dirty look on his way out and continued up the staircase. He paused at the top, noticing how dark it was becoming in the cottage. Rubbing his hair, he blew out a long breath and then continued down the hall to Anzu's room, knocking lightly before trying the handle. Finding the handle give way, he pushed the door open, peeking inside to find Anzu sitting in bed at the window. She looked to him and offered a small smile. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," she answered quietly. Malik pulled the door close and then went to the wardrobe, digging out some fresh clothes. It had both men's and women's and while it wasn't his, he didn't much mind. He pulled the screen around the tub and after scrubbing at his face in the wash basin, he stripped his clothes off and began to dress. "Couldn't you have done that in your own room?" Anzu asked him exasperatedly.

"I don't like to dress by myself."

"You do it all the time."

"And every time I hate it." When Malik emerged from behind the screen, he was smiling. Anzu's face was set into a scowl, but she laughed at him when she spotted his expression. "I thought you were supposed to be asleep by now."

"I am," she admitted, "but I couldn't sleep."

"Clearly," he said. He gestured for her to move and she obliged him. He blew out the candle, descending the room into darkness. "I doubt I'll get any sleep, either, what with that damn noise that always happens every night." He climbed into the bed with her and after some shifting of blankets, she curled against him, albeit hesitantly. For a moment, they were silent. Malik listened to Anzu's quiet breathing, wondering how someone who generally had an aversion to much physical contact was suddenly taking comfort in any contact that she could receive. It was unlike her and it worried him. "So...what happened while I was gone, Anzu? Something between you and Bakura?" He felt her stiffen against him. He wasn't willing to beat around the bush in regards to this. If it meant upsetting her, then so be it.

"No," she said at last.

"Come now, Anzu, don't lie to me," he sighed. "What happened? What did he do this time?"

There was another pause before she said softly, "It wasn't what he did...it's what I did." Malik frowned up at the ceiling, puzzled by this. Anzu shifted onto her elbow so that she could look into Malik's face. He turned onto his side, raising his eyebrows. "Malik...how can you regret something, while at the same time not regret it? Is that just how it's supposed to feel when you regret doing something? I feel so ashamed by myself, but at the same time, I can't help but feel...good...about it. But it's thrown my emotions into so much confusion. I don't even know what I feel about anything anymore."

"What exactly did you do with Bakura?" he cautiously asked, somewhat fearing the response. He saw her eyes shift to the side, her teeth catching her lip.

"I kissed him."

"That's it?"

"It's not a 'that's it' sort of thing, Malik," Anzu told him irritably, falling back beside him, staring at the ceiling. "Bakura knew that I wanted it...he said it to my face when I tried to pretend that it was an accident. I even knew that I had...but I'm an engaged woman, to a wonderful man, and yet with Bakura...things are strange. I _know_ that I should love Yami, but I don't. I care for him and think of him fondly and I _do_ miss him, but not in the way that I should. With Bakura, it's like...it's like ice and fire, at the same time. I loathe him, with his attitude and the way he talks about Yami and the way he goes from being nice to being horrible and yet all I can think is how strong of a person his personality makes him, how he never seems to really break down, and I admire him. I hate when people talk bad about him and I...I guess I just start protecting him, because I feel like I understand why he's the way he is. Even though he's unpleasant to me, after I calm down, I can't help but understand the rationale for his actions."

"Anzu, you and Yami were betrothed at a young age, you even admitted it yourself," Malik told her, pushing her hair from her face, forcing her to turn her gaze upon him. "You can't expect to love the one you're betrothed. Honestly, I don't think Yami loves you the way he thinks he does. If he did, you two would have felt a good deal more lust than it seems you have. Even a man as good as Yami would need to feel that for the woman he loves. It's a natural instinct." He paused a moment, allowing her to absorb that, before saying, "And it sounds like you got your first taste of what that instinct feels like...just not from Yami." Even in the dark, he could see her face flush.

"It's embarrassing. I don't want any part of those types of instincts."

"Ah, the instincts of the flesh, how bothersome they are! But they're necessary and they're there. You can't do anything about it. You say that Bakura's never broken down, but he did. If he was willing to drop his guard for even a moment to let his lust kick in..." he trailed off, lifting a shoulder slightly. Anzu was silent to this, lowering her eyes thoughtfully. "I want you to stop thinking about it for now, will you?" he murmured, cupping her cheek and pulling her face up. "We don't need anyone fighting. There's too small of a space and, unfortunately, we need to stay unified, as cliché as that sounds."

"It makes you sound like a bedtime story," Anzu told him in an amused tone.

"Trust me, I know. Now, get some sleep. I'll stay here with you tonight." He felt her nod, so he turned back on his back and she snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He glanced down at her and pushed her hair from her face, sensing that Bakura was likely watching the house closely from his chambers. "Sleep well." He leaned down and, startling her, pressed his lips to hers, lingering. Surprisingly, she did not pull away, her soft lips pliant beneath his own. He felt her baffled stare on his face when he withdrew, but ignored it. He passed his tongue over his lips briefly. _It certainly has been awhile since I've done that...I wonder how Bakura feels about that._

X

"Fuck you, Malik," Bakura snarled, violently shoving away from the table and then as he stormed towards the door, he halted, frowning, and then repeated the phrase, storming back to his desk and grinding his fists on the top, glowering at them. He knew the game his friend was playing and he quite simply refused to take the bait. Malik was not unaware of Bakura's ability to peek into the rooms of the cottage, given that the cottage, like most amenities that possessed, were due to Bakura's magic and no one else's. Bakura was not at all pleased with having to stare at Malik and Anzu cuddled in her bed and it disgusted him, yet at the same time, Bakura could not help but feel respect for Malik's care of her. And, beyond all, he was enormously envious of Malik's position. As he calmed himself, he could not help but wish that he was not sleeping alone tonight. This situation was beginning to grate on his nerves and beyond the preparations he had been making that could not yet go into effect, Bakura felt as though he was helpless to do anything. He wished he had someone to rage this to, someone who would listen silently, and afterward, would simply –

"_No!_" Bakura roared, once again leaping to his feet. _What the hell am I thinking? _he demanded of himself. _I don't need anyone, let alone a sniveling princess that is obsessed with a mindless dummy in Kraion. No, I need only myself. I've ever only needed myself and that does _not_ need to change, nor will it change._ He reassured himself that it was simply seeing Malik and Anzu slumbering together that caused him such a yearning. He would much prefer jealousy over weakness of the heart any day, although others may have argued that the two went hand-in-hand.

Bakura waved the thoughts from his mind, returning to his desk. He lifted the cube that was sitting upon the desk, a recent construction of his, and considered it thoughtfully. "What do I need with people?" he murmured to himself, eyeing the cube thoughtfully. "What could it possibly get me in life?"

"_I just want to be loved...," a soft voice whispered. Bakura, standing over the bed in his robes that signified him as the court sorcerer, said nothing to this. "I thought...I thought that maybe, if I gave it to him, he would love me. But he insisted that I leave his room! He said...he said that she was going to come and see us and he didn't want her to see him with a...a..." A fresh set of sobs erupted from the slender body that was thrown upon the bed. "Whore!" Bakura closed his eyes briefly at the sound of the choked word and then drew closer, laying his hand on the shaking shoulder. "Oh, go away!" His hand was tossed aside as the body tilted upward. The blonde curls tumbled over her damp face and Mai was glaring at him hatefully. "You probably just think I'm the same as them, don't you?" Fresh tears gathered in her eyes. "Am I just a piece of trash to you, too, sorcerer?"_

"_No," he told her calmly. He retrieved a kerchief from his robes and sat next to her, holding her face in one hand and wiping the tears from her cheeks and beneath her eyes. "I think you are a treasure. What do you need other people to see value in yourself, princess? What value do you see in them, but a mechanism in order to find value in yourself? You can get over this. You don't need them to feel good about yourself. You are what you make of yourself."_

"_I want somebody to love me," Mai hiccupped, her forlorn eyes staring into Bakura's steady ones. "I want someone to hold me, to say 'I love you,' and tell me goodnight. I don't want sex...I don't want kisses...I just want those words. I just don't want them to be a lie." She dropped her head, her hair hanging low. Bakura watched her, not speaking. Her shoulders began to shake again and she pushed her face into her hands, crying softly. "Why doesn't anyone...love me...?" _

_Bakura turned his eyes from her appearance. She was disheveled from the room that she had been unceremoniously ejected from and she had not yet gone to her own chambers to wash up from last night's events. She had lost her virginity to a man that she had been flirting with for some time now and had apparently thought unmarried and someone she believed had loved her. She had convinced herself of this fact, but it was clear that it was not so. Bakura knew the man well enough and was certain that the thought of conquering a princess was his only objective. Mai had been used and frightfully so. She had been searching for mere companionship, to be treated well, and in the end, it had turned against her._

"_Your family loves you – " he began, but she merely laughed bitterly, ending his meager attempt. They both knew that her family tended to exclude and ignore her in most things._

_After some time of weeping, Mai crawled closer to Bakura and rested her head on his shoulder, her face worn and puffy from the ordeal. "Someday," she whispered to him, "I'll be a better person. I'll be more powerful...and everyone will love me. The kingdom of Kraion will worship me as their queen and I'll never have to worry about being loved again." It was a naïve thought. Bakura gave no thought to it, nor did he deem it worthy of a response._

_Mai was only sixteen._

_X_

_Bakura slammed down the chest in the princess's drawing room and she merely raised a haughty brow at him. She was well into her attitude, confident of her magical abilities and she had established her personality quite well by this point. It had been some years since she had first felt the pain of rejection from a man's bedroom habits. She had made herself stronger and, in many ways, colder. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, staring at her._

"_I might hazard a guess that it is a chest," Mai replied, twisting a lock of her hair and inspecting it. "I'd appreciate it if you did not slam things on my furniture, either. It's rather expensive."_

"_I imagine it is, _your highness_," Bakura sneered, causing Mai to pause, although she did not meet his gaze. "What have you been doing in my laboratory, Mai? You are not prepared for many of the spells that are within my books, yet several were touched and certain herbs, powders, and minerals are missing. If I knew you would steal my things, I would never have allowed you entry!"_

"_I didn't steal," Mai told him, an injured look crossing her face. He was impervious to her emotions. His own were feeling horribly traitorous at the moment. "I simply borrowed and played with a spell. It wasn't anything bad...nothing difficult..."_

"_These are the Dark Arts, yet you treat them like a toy!" He slapped his hand on the chest in disgust, ignoring the pain that shot through his fingers. "You think that you know a few things and can perform spells that you have no comprehension of." Mai said nothing, her expression shuttered. Bakura waited a moment, anticipating an apology, even though he knew it would not come. When she remained silent, her eyes averted, he quietly said, "Your apprenticeship with me is finished. I have no desire to teach you any longer." He picked up the chest and turned to leave. _

"_Bakura," Mai suddenly said as he opened the door._

"_Your servant, madam." He swept her a mocking bow and then exited the room. He caught one last glance of her pained, lonely expression before the door closed. He stood a moment, his hand resting upon the handle. With a deep sigh, he turned from the door and left her. _

Bakura shook himself out of his thoughts, surprised by the strange memories, yet he understood why they had surfaced. Mai had been the last person he had felt any sort of warm feelings towards. Sorcerers had naturally longer lives and because of that, he had watched her grow up while remaining as youthful as he had ever been. He had tried to give her the attention she desired, but it was not enough. Ever since she first felt the disappointed sting of a man's lust, she drifted from him. He thought that if he had taught her magic, she might find some enjoyment in life, but it only increased her greed. He saw the tell-tale signs and because of this, he was careful in what he taught her. He could sense her frustration, but did not trust his young apprentice with much more than that which had offered her. That day when she betrayed his trust, he had felt a small part of him shrivel and die; yet, at the same time, he was reminded of the unending selfishness of humans and especially of those in royalty. From that day on, Bakura vowed to never become close to another person again and his demeanor towards Mai grew harsh until he forced her away, where she pursued her own education in the Arts. He soon remembered that he wanted nothing to do with humans and their deceitful nature.

_But it seems, _he thought wearily of Anzu, _that you are the exception to the rule, princess._

X

When morning arrived, Otogi and Seto met in the hall, having heard a rather large bit of commotion from downstairs that had begun early in the morning and had continued until only ten to twenty minutes before they exited their bedrooms. They exchanged uneasy glances. Otogi has slept deeply up until that moment and felt rested, although his body was still quite sore from the unending amount of time spent standing.

"You heard it, as well?" They both looked to see Mai in the doorway, her thick hair framing her face. She stared back at them, unfazed by the stares. As she stepped out of her bedroom, her djinn glided out behind her, his arm steadying her small frame. As Otogi and Seto stepped cautiously down the stairs, she followed more slowly. When they stepped into the den, they paused, alarmed by the amount of wreckage. Bakura was standing in the middle of it, rubbing his eyes. It was clear that he, unlike the others, had not slept last night. Mai slipped past the two sorcerers and surveyed the den. She frowned, noticing there was a long roll of parchment in Bakura's hands. She stepped forward, but the djinn stopped her.

"It would be best you not touch anything, princess," he said quietly. Bakura looked up, raising his eyebrows. The djinn had been purposely silent while in the company of the others in the cottage. He ignored the look Bakura gave him and approached him, extending a thin hand. Without a word, Bakura handed the parchment to him and the djinn read it before holding it out for Mai to read. "It is a warning...from the demon himself."

" 'You, with the power of nine, beware of your protection,' " Mai read out, frowning. The writing was sharp and thin, the writing of someone unaccustomed to using such means of communication. Seto and Otogi exchanged a puzzled look at this. "But what does that mean? Who is the power of nine?"

"I would have thought it obvious," Bakura said simply, waving a hand as logs from the fireplace resituated themselves in the grate and the black material that had scattered around on the floor seemed to disappear. "Would one of you like to be useful and help me with this?" he added in an irritated tone. Seto obliged him, stepping forward and fixing the broken furniture. Otogi watched mildly and then felt a chill on his neck. Turning, he met Malik's gaze. "Thank you for joining us, Malik," Bakura spoke up, waving his arms in a large semi-circle, eliminating the gouges in the walls and the black marks that had traveled along them.

"I wouldn't have wanted to meet our little friend down here," Malik replied in a friendly enough tone. He ushered Mai and Otogi to step back and the three sorcerers corrected the room to its former appearance. In that time, Isis and Anzu had arrived downstairs. When Bakura spotted them, he frowned and then held his hand out to the djinn, who returned the parchment to him. He folded the parchment and tucked it securely in the pocket of his breeches, where the ladies were unable to see the message. Malik noticed the gesture and chuckled, hiding a smile as he turned away from the sorcerer. "Well," he spoke up, "I suppose now that this is done, we can go on to discuss other things?"

"Yes," Bakura murmured, flicking his fingers towards the grate, where a fire began to crackle, "that would be best."

"What an amount of damage, though," Isis said. "It seems to be getting restless."

"I would assume so."

When it was clear that Bakura had no intention of giving anyone his insight into the demon's abrupt behavior, the subject was abandoned. Malik offered to begin making breakfast, with Otogi hastily saying that he would help. As Isis and Mai returned upstairs to wash, Anzu hesitated, glancing at Bakura. She remembered Malik's words from last night and felt a pang of guilt. Bakura was still standing in the middle of the den, lost in thought. She breathed in a deep breath and after the den was empty, she approached him, clearing her throat. Interrupted from his thoughts, he merely looked at her in question. "I...wanted to apologize for how I've been acting lately. And...how I acted after..." She made a vague gesture with her hand, a bit of pink entering her cheeks. He was silent for such a long time that she forced herself to meet his eyes. When she did, he turned away from her.

"It's fine. Go get clean and ready for breakfast." She blinked, watching as he turned to leave.

"Bakura." She caught hold of his sleeve and then jumped, releasing it quickly when he stopped to look at her again. She gave a nervous smile, waving her hands and shaking her head. "No, it's nothing. Forget it. Just, um, thank you, and...Well, I'll just be – "

"Anzu," he interrupted, "if there's something you need to talk to me about, then do so." Anzu stared at him, surprised by the calmness in his voice. There was no hint of mockery in his face, nor amusement. He was utterly serious and she could feel a tiny bit of her stomach bubble in excitement. Angry at herself for reacting, she shook her head silently. He must have caught the spark of irritation in her eyes, as he released an amused snort. "I can promise you that I have no intention of assaulting you, if that is your fear."

"Well..." She glanced behind her and then stepped closer to him, lowering her voice. "I want us to stay friends. I don't want to fight with you, Bakura." She raised her lashes to look at him. He inclined his head, a subtle encouragement for her to continue. "I think that it'd be better for us to avoid conflict then to, um...fight about dumb things that, really, are of no consequence. That's all..."

"Alright," he agreed. A slow smirk formed on his lips and he traced a finger along her jaw. "You had best not tempt me to anger you, then." With sudden quickness, he caught her chin and pulled her forward, whispering against her lips, "And you'd better not anger me." He kissed her, a short, sweet kiss, and then he had released her and disappeared towards his chambers, leaving her standing in the den by herself.

Blushing, Anzu rubbed her face angrily. Bakura's kisses were going to take a long time to get accustomed to.

X

Bakura idly took a bite of his bacon while he stood in front of the barrier with Seto, Malik, and Mai. He had rushed them through their breakfast and while he had not invited Mai, she had insisted upon coming. Her strength had increased quite a bit since she had arrived in the forest and it was clear that she was willing to push it to its limit when she wanted something. It reminded him more of the girl he had known and less of his apprentice. However, as his eyes followed the threads in the barrier, his mind was not on the past, but on the complexities of the spell that Isis and Malik had performed. It was clear that they had taxed their strength on something of this magnitude. "There are no mistakes?" he asked Malik after a few minutes of analyzing the spell.

"No, we made sure after every layer to make certain that we had made no mistakes," Malik assured him. "This spell is usually done by more than two people, so it is no surprise that it took us this long."

"It's commendable," he admitted reluctantly. "I can tell that even for a group of people, this would have been difficult." He ate the last bit of the bacon and brushed his fingers off, finding the center of the spell, where each layer met. He raised his hands and looked at Malik over his shoulder, asking, "I'm going to strengthen the center. It's a bit weak right here and I'd rather it not break in case it was struck, either on accident or on purpose. Will it ruin the rest of the spell?"

"No, as long as it does not interfere with the other threads, you should be fine."

Bakura nodded and carefully weaved different threads of his own spell around the center, protecting it. Satisfied, he lowered his hands and then rapped a hand on the barrier. It thrummed, flashing at him defiantly. It was still strong, but he could sense the poison in it. Their spell was weakening it and it was fighting bravely. But, given the demon's threat, Bakura was not inclined to wait longer than a few more days. He had a few more things to add to his own device and then, he hoped, the entire barrier could be taken down. His magic alone would not be able to destroy it, but with the majority of its efforts dealing with Malik and Isis's spell, it might just work. "We may be able to do this," he murmured.

"May I?" Mai had come up beside him. He saw her djinn shift uncomfortably, looking agitated.

"Princess, please," the djinn curled itself against her, submitting to her. "Your strength is already taxed." She waved him away impatiently.

"This is my doing, djinn," she told him sharply, "and as my strength is at its strongest, I would prefer to use it rather than waste it." The djinn looked to Bakura imploringly, but the sorcerer could only shake his head and take a step back. He knew Mai well enough that she would not allow any arguments to be had in this. Seto and Malik watched her suspiciously, distrusting her intentions. She bowed her head over her joined hands and murmured beneath her breath. A soft glow erupted from her hands and she raised them, each of them glowing a bright white. She continued her low murmurings and after dropping her head back, she stepped to the barrier and placed her hands against it. The dark colours flashed against her hands. The glow from her hands seeped into the barrier, striking against the colour. Her knees bent at the thrash of power that smashed against her hands, however, she held firm, not pausing once in the line of spell words that she spoke. Once the glow had completely faded from her hands, she removed them and took a step back. As her knees began to buckle, the djinn swiftly moved, lifting her into his arms. "Thank you," she said weakly to the djinn, putting a hand on his thin face and then dropped it to her chest.

"Take her back to the cottage," Bakura ordered. The djinn bowed his head in assent and then swept away from the sorcerers. Once he had disappeared into the thick trees, Bakura tapped his knuckles against the barrier and this time, Mai's energy flowed within the barrier, combating against the dark throngs of magic. "Her magic won't last long," he told his companions, "and we need the barrier to drop soon. I don't trust the demon to not do something rash."

"He has already begun to act out of turn," Seto said mildly. "He will not simply wait for our guards to drop."

"No," Bakura agreed slowly, "and that is why I will be needing your assistance." He glanced at Malik. "I want you to watch over Anzu."

"Anzu?" Malik repeated blankly. "Why her?"

"Because Mai was clearly jealous of her and it would not do well for the demon to begin to act out of that jealousy, as I believe he will. I don't plan on putting any defenses around her room just yet. He may take that as a challenge. He has no qualms against attacking her, as we have already witnessed. Besides...you were actually able to sleep last night." He sent Malik a pointed look.

"You slept in her bed last night?" Seto asked, frowning disapprovingly.

Bakura smiled slightly at the brotherly protection that Seto exhibited. "Tomorrow night, I'll need your help, along with Isis's. I have been...devising something...and I think it will be able to tear down the barrier. I plan on having it done tomorrow. I cannot afford that demon getting closer to us than it already has."

"What is this thing you've created?"

"You'll see," was Bakura's vague response and then, with a slight twist to his foot, he had disappeared, leaving the two sorcerers to puzzle over his words.

X

Mai lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling after drinking the potion that Anzu had given her when she arrived. Her eyes remained fixed upon the light that was pouring onto the ceiling, her thoughts in some turmoil. In spite of being near so many people in such close quarters, Mai was lonely. It was a feeling that she was well-accustomed to, though not one that she had ever enjoyed. Her djinn kept a careful watch over her and while she appreciated his companionship and care, she wished she had someone to talk to about things. She felt a horrible mixture of regret and sadness from the recent events and even though Anzu had told her that no one disliked her, Mai still felt a great degree of guilt.

Hearing a sound near the doorway, she turned her head. Her djinn was already standing, blocking her view of their visitor. After a moment, however, her djinn settled back in his seat and Bakura closed the door behind him. Mai met his gaze unflinchingly, wondering what purpose he had in visiting. "I see you've drank one of Anzu's potions again," Bakura remarked, moving to the side of the bed unoccupied by her djinn, which was nearest to the window. He picked up the cup and then set it back down on the end table.

"Yes, she gave it to me as soon as she saw what state I was in. It's helped a lot."

"Good," was his quiet reply. He turned from her for a moment, bracing an arm against the windowsill, his face turned into the light that was streaming in from outside. Mai surveyed his face, noticing how drawn it was from weariness, the slightest hint of dark circles beneath his eyes, and the solemn frown that was appeared a permanent form of his lips. Even though she knew he was far older than many of them in the cottage (with perhaps the exception of Isis and Malik), he still appeared the same age as he ever had and still looked as handsome as she recalled. Even as a young girl, she had noticed Bakura's attractive face and it was likely due to that and his devout attention to her that drew her to him and caused her to trust him. "How are you doing besides your strength?" he asked at last. She didn't answer and when he turned to look at her, she looked politely at him. "Ah." He smiled wryly. "You're regretting things, aren't you?"

"How can you read me so well, even after all these years?"

"For you, it may seem like ages. For me, it is a mere blink of an eye in the many years that I have been alive. I was always able to see what potential you had to be, yet I had also hoped that you would turn down a different path. Clearly I did not work hard enough to avoid that."

"Are you regretting things?" she asked him.

"No," he said slowly, "merely reflecting on certain failures." He paused and then continued, "None of this is your fault entirely. Everyone had a hand in this, even myself. No one thing can be the result of a single person."

"I'm not all too interested in historical causation, Bakura. The end result is that I am the one who caused this."

"With the help of many other people," he added, ignoring her frown. "Nobody blames you for what has happened. Everyone understands that mistakes are made and nothing can be done to avoid that. I don't want you to feel guilty because of this...you'll be of no help to anyone, much less yourself, if you view things that way." She was silent for a long moment, saying nothing. He reached down and tucked her hair behind her ears, smoothing the stray strands from her face. She raised her eyes to his, her brow furrowing.

"How can you still be so nice to me, even after everything I've done?"

"It must be my gentle nature," he said in a sarcastic tone. He drew away and moved to the door. "Get some rest...and stop thinking about things that you can't change."

Mai watched him leave and thought to herself, _I'll try._

X

That night, the cottage was eerily quiet. Anzu did not sleep, even though Malik was in bed with her. He seemed to be in a light, restful sleep, but she remained awake, aware that either the demon had left the cottage completely, or it had begun something new and different that she did not trust. As she was drifting in and out of sleep, there was a sudden shrill, inhuman shriek that awoke her and Malik, who slipped out of bed immediately and dashed to the door. As he was about to open it, however, it rumbled and snapped open. He had darted out of the way in time. Anzu stiffened, aware of a terrible stench. Malik had crept over to the bed and with a flick of his hand, a large globe of light formed in the room, lighting the dark corners. He kept a hand on her shoulder, comforting yet also tightening with warning. Near them, the darkness shuddered and then drifted away from the light. Anzu was able to see streams of smoke drift from the darkness and then it escaped the room, leaving them quite alone. Shaken, Anzu put a hand to her face, frightened. There was another earth-shattering shriek and she winced, pressing her hands against her eyes.

After some time, the entire cottage settled into silence again. Malik's hand loosened on her shoulder and he pulled her from the bed. The globe remained hovering in the room for a moment up until he lit the fireplace. It disappeared with a wink and then Malik continued to pull Anzu along into the hallway. Isis and Seto were at Mai's room and Otogi was standing near his doorway, his face ashen. Anzu shrugged out of Malik's grip and ran to her brother, taking his arm. Mechanically, he put an arm around her, hugging her to him.

"He tried to break through our defenses," Seto said. Unsure of who he was talking to, Anzu glanced around.

"And did he?" a voice surface from the stairway. Bakura stepped into the hallway, a grim look upon his face.

"Almost. We're repairing them now." Bakura nodded and then glanced at Anzu.

"It came into Anzu's room after it hit the defense spells," Malik spoke up. "I'm not sure what it was hoping to accomplish in there..." He shrugged nonchalantly, as though it were not a powerful demon that they were working against. Bakura merely nodded, frowning thoughtfully. Anzu noticed that he was developing some rather frightening dark circles beneath his eyes and she doubted that he had been making his own potions to keep his body rejuvenated, as it was apparent that he was not sleeping.

"He nearly ripped into me downstairs," Bakura said conversationally, "but I was expecting him. He's not inside the cottage any longer, he fled outside." There was another pause and then he said, "Remaining in the forest is dangerous. We can't stay here any longer."

"The demon will follow Mai," Seto said, "so wherever we go, it will follow."

"True, but I would also wager that we have given it a reason to detract from itself. He's been in this world long enough to begin to develop certain...feelings and patterns. I think he's successfully developed a hatred for me, at least, based on certain things...and he will be able to attribute the defenses to Seto and Isis's powers. The only one who can truly be safe as far as this is concerned would be Otogi." He smiled slightly at Otogi, who said nothing to this.

"But...me?" Anzu queried shakily.

"He'll be going off of my feelings," Mai spoke up from her room, having made it out of bed to stand in the doorway. "If you recall, I was quite jealous of you...he will feed off of that."

"Don't worry about it," Bakura said, noticing the glum expressions. "If we are lucky, we will be able to get rid of the barrier by tomorrow and leave. And, based on tonight, I have a feeling that we will need to leave to protect a certain other person before something unfortunate happens." Anzu stiffened, realizing who he was speaking of. She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped herself, realizing that demanding they break it down now would do no good, as it was apparent that whatever it was that Bakura intended to do to break the barrier would not be finished until tomorrow. She closed her mouth, pursing her lips.

"Get back to bed," Seto was telling Mai, as the defenses had been constructed again. Isis had already returned to her own bedroom and after some coaxing, Malik was able to return both Otogi and Anzu back to their respective rooms. The three sorcerers remained in the hall, although Malik kept Anzu's door open as a precaution. "If we do this tomorrow night, who will watch them here? You said you would need all of our help and while Isis is powerful, I'm not comfortable leaving a woman to defend three others by herself."

"I plan on having the barrier down before nightfall," Bakura told them, "but this is if it even works. I will not guarantee anything, I only am giving an estimation of success."

"Well, let's hope that your estimation is correct," Malik said softly. "We can't afford another incident like this."

X

After a restless sleep, Anzu immediately began on constructing a potion that Seto had assisted her with, retrieving the necessary things and constructing a few potions of his own. The two of them labored in the kitchen for a long time and as Malik cooked, Isis and Otogi remained upstairs, the former continuing her tutelage of the young sorcerer. Anzu was feeling particularly unnerved by last night's events and not at all rested. Seto had forced her to take some of a rejuvenating potion for herself, pointing out that tonight would likely be a long one for everyone.

"I'm going to take these to Bakura," she told him, gathering three of the potions, two of which Seto had created.

"Tell him to come out and eat, too, will you?" Malik added. "He can't be so busy as to not eat something every once in awhile. He's going to kill himself at this rate." He mumbled the last part to himself, but Anzu still able to hear it. She paused in her steps and glanced back to see Seto throw Malik a dirty look. Smiling at the exchange, she continued out of the kitchen. The den still looked a bit shabby, likely from the encounter Bakura had with the demon, and it was cold. She pulled her robes around her more securely and when she arrived at Bakura's door, she knocked quickly, waiting for a response.

She heard the click of a lock, but the door did not open. Hesitating, she shifted the potions and turned the knob, poking her face in. She saw Bakura at his desk, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hands. She was able to get a glimpse of his wrists, which appeared thinner than normal. His face was still drawn with fatigue and there was a limpness to his hair that suggested poor health. Saddened by his condition, Anzu stepped inside and shut the door with her foot. "Seto and I made you some potions to drink. You haven't been keeping up with yourself." He turned his head and scowled at her, appearing irritated by this observation. "Don't give me that look," she said firmly. "You know that you haven't."

"I hardly need you to tell me so," he returned in a moody tone. She set the potions down and began to unstop them. The first one he took and drank quickly, his mouth twisting slightly at the bitter taste. He drank the second one slower and the third one even more so. Anzu stood silently, watching him to make certain that he drank them. He appeared aware of this and so he did not move order her to leave. While he drank, Anzu's thought wandered to her fiancé in Kraion. For, as much as she did not feel for him as a lover, she had spent the majority of her life with him and did care deeply for him. She was unsure of where the demon had gone and hoped that he was still in the Forest of Dim. The thought of Yami coming to harm haunted her.

_If only there were more that I could do,_ she mused, thinking of the power in both Malik and Bakura, their confidence, and bravery. _If only I had the power to do that...but I only know fencing and that doesn't help against a demon...only against a human. _Not for the first time, Anzu wished that the magic arts were not so taboo. She released a small sigh through her nose and then looked back to Bakura and, watching him take a last drink from the potion, she began to replace the stoppers. As she did so, Bakura suddenly put a hand over hers. She stilled, looking to him in question.

"Stop thinking about it," he ordered. "It won't make a difference."

"Are you going to kill him?" The question took Bakura off guard and his brow wrinkled. "That was your plan all along, wasn't it? To kill Yami?"

"My plan was to make him suffer, then kill him," he corrected her, "and for good reason."

"You've not given anyone a reason for why you want him dead. If anything, wouldn't you want the king dead?"

"My reasons are my own. And no, I do not intend on killing him." He released her hand. "It's not worth my time anymore." He nodded towards the door, saying, "Go." Anzu hesitated and then stoppered the last glass bottle, collecting two of them in one hand. She paused and, seeing that he was staring down at his desk again and the collection of odd objects, she reached out and touched his head. Leaning forward, she cupped the back of his neck and kissed his temple. Without a word, she collected the glass bottle and left his chambers. After the door had shut, he turned his head to look at it, a long frown forming on his lips. Not for the first time, he wished he understood exactly what it was about the princess that captivated him. _She irritates me._

His mood had become quite foul.

X

By the noon, the entire cottage was on edge. Anzu had taken to pacing in her room, with Otogi sitting on her bed, watching her, lost in his own anxious thoughts, and the other sorcerers remained in the den, awaiting Bakura's instruction. When the sun had begun to dip towards the west horizon in the middle of the afternoon, Bakura emerged from his chambers with a medium sized marble box beneath his arm. He frowned as all three rose to their feet, noticing their expressions. "I see you're prepared," he remarked dryly. "Isis, please bring the siblings and Mai down here in the den, sit here, and put a heavy defense spell around you. We shouldn't be long if everything works according to plan." Isis nodded her assent and disappeared towards the stairs while Bakura ushered the other two out of the cottage.

"Are you just saying that to reassure her or are you serious?" Seto asked after they were some ways from the cottage.

"A little bit of both," was his reply before he disappeared. Seto scowled and after Malik followed suit, he, too, disappeared and appeared between the two at the barrier. "Like I said, there is a slight chance that this may not work to bring the entire barrier down and, if that is that case, then we are going to have a problem. But, given everything, there is also a high chance that it will. Or, if not, it will at least severely weaken it."

"That may not be enough for the prince of Kraion."

"True, but I could care less about his life, really. I'm not into that hero shit anyway."

"And yet here you are, trying to break down a barrier that has not hindered us all too much."

"For the sake of my own life, I assure you. I'm not interested in running into that demon again with very little space to maneuver in. I prefer to perform on my own rules, not his." Bakura set the box down at the base of the barrier and removed the top, revealing the crystal cube that had been situated on his desk for some time. The two sorcerers moved in a bit closer, able to sense the amount of power within the cube. "I'd be careful, if I were you. Because of the shortness of time, I wasn't able to safely contain the spells within the cube. They're very unstable."

"But that's the purpose, isn't it?" Malik asked, taking a step back. Bakura raised his eyes to his, his eyebrows tipping upward slightly. "The instability will knock the stable spells apart."

"Excepting yours and Isis's," Bakura answered, "yes, but it is easier to handle the cube outside of the barrier when they are better contained. Anyway, I made certain that your spells would remain unharmed." Very carefully, he lifted the cube from the case it was in and then sighed, rising to his feet. "What I need from you two is to maintain a spell that will ensure that these unstable spells within the cube and the power that is threaded in them will not become damaged by any of the threads of Mai's or the demons that is holding up the barrier. If I can keep them from attacking and destroying the ones within this, we should be able to get through the barrier." Bakura paused, hesitating. "However...there are several layers in this one object. Sixty-six, in fact, each with its own source of power, each with completely different spells, and each with a different level of instability. So, after each layer, there will be a pause and I would suggest you brace yourself, as they are not all going to be the same."

"Sounds simple enough, I suppose..."

"Then let's not just stand her any longer," Seto snapped. "We don't have much time until sundown and with so little time, we need to take advantage of it."

The other two nodded and after Malik had moved the marble case from the barrier, the three of them situated themselves, with Seto on one side of Bakura and Malik on the other, each to protect each side of the spells. Bakura raised his gaze to the barrier, tapping it with his knuckle. It lit up. He could see places of weakness in the barrier, likely due to Mai's energy that she had poured into the barrier. However, the weaknesses were faint and as such, they alone could not break it. The top and base of the barrier were weaker, with the center that the three men were facing being stronger. It was in the center that the majority of the power and spells were concentrated and where Bakura knew the majority of his attention would need to be placed. Simply by tapping the barrier and seeing the flow of power made him feel slightly doubtful about the effectiveness of the cube he had developed. After Bakura looked to each of them, he placed the cube against the barrier in the center and gently pressed it with his thumb, saying, "One." While Malik was accustomed to unstable spells, Seto was not and his hold broke briefly. He swore and then immediately readjusted his defense. After the initial assault, it was easier to hold upon his concentration; however, it had done a large degree of damage on the first layer. Bakura watched the flash of colours grimly, unsure as to how that would affect the following layers.

Seto was correct when he spoke of the lack of time they possessed. All three of the sorcerers were becoming impatient as, with the fiftieth layer, the sun was already setting on the horizon. Malik and Bakura exchanged a too-knowing look. If they were not back by nightfall, those in the cottage would be in danger. While Malik still resented his sister for her actions towards their brother, he did not wish her in the position that Bakura had been in last night, let alone his own position. The demon, with its increased violence, would not hesitate to kill any of those in the cottage.

"There's not enough time for the rest of the layers," Seto shouted over the sounds of the spells clashing in the barrier. "We have to give up."

"We can't just remove the cube from the barrier," Malik called back, "or else we'll be blown to pieces by the spells within it and we can't simply leave it out here. We don't know what it will do if it interacts that long with the other spells – it might even reinforce those within the barrier."

"It's going to be night out here soon and none of us are even under any protection. We can't even make a small defense around ourselves. Have you forgotten that not only is there a demon out there, but also feral animals? I don't want to get killed by any of them trying to tear down a barrier!"

"It's not like you've got anything to live for anyway!" Malik snapped back.

"Then what the hell is the point in this?"

"Enough," Bakura barked out. "Shut up and concentrate. We're staying out here. I can raise a defense shield around us. Fifty-three!" As he began to raise a shield around them, he heard Seto swear underneath his breath. Ignoring him, Bakura lifted his palms up and the shield rose up around them. He turned to watch the cube again and then, with a few gestures of his hand, strengthened the shield. As the three fell silent, Bakura kept note of the layers and as sunlight began to disappear, leaving the forest in shadows, they were still only on layer sixty-two. "Fuck," he muttered.

"This isn't doing anything!" Seto lashed out in frustration. "The barrier isn't even breaking."

"Yes, it is, you're just too stupid to see it," Malik returned angrily. "Look above!" Bakura, as well as Seto, followed Malik's instructions. Indeed, there was the beginning of wear at the top and base of the barrier, but the center was still holding fairly strong. As Bakura had suspected, there was a far greater strength to the center than the section at the top and bottom. He could see that some of his spells were having an effect, weakening those within the center, but with only a few more layers existing in the cube, he wondered whether it would do any good. As pieces fell from certain spells and others seemed to be eliminated completely, he began to lose hope in spite of Malik's faith in his power.

"Sixty-four," he called. There was a pause and then another brutal wave of spells was unleashed from the cube. Underneath all the noise, he heard the sound of rustling leaves and spun around. Some feet away, Isis paused, her face neutral. In spite of his increased anxiety, he was somewhat thankful that she had brought them to the barrier where he, at least, could help defend them if the demon did, in fact, attack them. Perhaps this was Isis's reasoning, as well, though he was unsure as she did not say a word, nor did any of the others. He saw that the djinn was behind the entourage that Isis led and that she still held a thick defense around them. Mai looked weary, but the royal siblings appeared both anxious and in Otogi's case, disappointed. Having been near the barrier for as long as he had, Otogi knew what to look for and Bakura realized that the prince could see what he could see.

He had failed.

"Sixty-five," he called after turning from the group. He stepped near the cube and released a long breath, pursing his lips in irritation. _This should have worked, _he thought, cracking his knuckles. _It should have broken the barrier by now. I only have one layer left, though, and it's still not enough. Fucking demon..._ A low thrum of power started in his palms and as light filled his palms, he extended his fingers and placed them on the barrier, pouring it inside, blending with the unstable spells. He flinched as his own unstable spells lashed against his hands, stinging them, burning them. He could smell burned flesh, but disregarded it, slowly sliding his hands up to the center, where the cube lied. "Sixty-six!" The last layer burst forth and the cube was released, falling to the ground and shattering to tiny pieces. Ignoring this, Bakura held onto the barrier, his lips thinning as his skin begin to tingle with the sensation of searing pain. Abruptly, he felt something cool on his palms and started in surprise, seeing a face on the other side of the barrier.

"Who the _fuck _is that?" Distantly, he heard Malik's slightly terrified voice.

"Just a little longer," the face told him and he was aware that it was a woman. She smiled at him and he felt a sudden vibration on the barrier, "and then you can be free." There was a pause in which he could no longer feel her hands on his and then he was awash in the cold of her power, spilling over him and there was a sudden, horrible sound and when he looked up, the entire barrier was tumbling down. It began at the weakest points at the top, and then, very slowly, the center began to part, the slivers of the demons power vibrating, shattering, and as they began to break apart, the center, too, began to separate until the base began to slip away as well.

"Bakura!" For once, it was not Malik that had spoken and when he looked back, feeling the remains of the intense, otherworldly spells hitting his body, he saw that Malik and Seto had scrambled back and just behind them, he saw Anzu's fearful face peering at him, her mouth forming his name. As pain split into his skull, his back, and his shoulders, he released a small chuckle.

_TBC_

X

DIS: Yikes. So, this ended up being twenty-one pages. Sorry about that...I should have probably separated it into chapters, but I really wanted it to end with this scene. I hope that I'm not rushing things too much for you guys, but incidentally, this will help move things along quite well. More actions, more dialogue, etc., etc. But please let me know what you thought of this chapter, what I could do better, or if I should redo this, as I do have some mixed feelings about this chapter myself. With that said, ciao!


	18. Chapter Eighteen

DIS: Sorry for the wait, everyone. It's been a busy start to the summer. Today was my first day off from work since the third week of June, so I've not had much time to write. Thanks goes to _**Children of Beslan **_by Steven Cravis for inspiration. In case you're interested, I was listening to that song in the scene where they are traveling to Kraion. It was very fitting, I thought. And at the end, I was listening to _**Mystical Myst **_by Steven Cravis. In any case, read on and enjoy!

X

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Eighteen_

Anzu watched, stricken, as Bakura began to fall to the ground and only once the last spell had dissipated did Malik allow her to pass. She dashed from the group and fell to her knees beside the sorcerer, aware of how dark it was in the forest. She gently turned him on his back, pushing his hair from his face. He was unconscious and after passing her hand over his mouth, Anzu released a relieved sigh at feeling his breath pass over her skin. Only then did she raise her head to the figure that was standing above her, silent and still. She could not see the woman's face, though she had been unable to earlier, as well. She heard a soft sound behind her and noticed that Otogi and Malik had stepped forward. She ignored them and bowed her head over Bakura, her brow wrinkling in worry.

_I don't understand you, _she said to him silently. _One minute you're selfish and the next you put yourself in danger for us. _She placed a hand on his warm forehead. Isis arrived next to her and as the two exchanged looks, Anzu removed her hand and Isis raised hers above Bakura's face. Trusting Isis's power in healing, Anzu continued to survey his face that seemed so calm while resting. She wondered when the last time had been that he had actually slept.

"Alright, just who are you?" Malik demanded above the two females, facing the intruding woman, his hand arched towards her face threateningly. "And no lies, if you will."

"Malik – " Otogi began uncertainly.

"I apologize for alarming you," the woman cut in quietly. "I was sent here by the prince of Kraion. He explained the situation to me and asked if I might be able to help. As it happens, I was. I had hoped that the barrier would have weakened by now and it appears that it had weakened just enough for me to help the sorcerer, Bakura." There was a pause in which her head shifted and she looked down at the still form. "He was hit directly by the spells that were invested in the barrier – both his and all others. His body will need time to heal."

"We don't have time to wait here in the forest," Seto spoke up coolly. "We have to get to the castle in Kraion before anything happens to the prince."

"I agree," she said softly, "but he is at risk there...everyone is."

"We will have to take that chance. Who are you?"

Before the woman could answer, Anzu had risen to her feet and sighed, saying, "It is the Queen of Siruean..." Otogi looked uncomfortable, as well as his sister. Malik looked to Anzu, startled. She smiled at him wearily. "I think she can explain this better than I can, but we don't have time. We should go to Kraion."

There was a brief hesitation before there was a collective agreement amongst the group. Mai and the djinn disappeared first, with Seto following shortly after. Otogi reluctantly settled at his mother's side at her gesture and then they, too, vanished, leaving the two Hoshäi siblings, Anzu, and Bakura's still form. Isis had completed her healing spell and while Bakura's breathing had visibly altered, he was still unconscious. Isis inclined her head and then she and Bakura disappeared. Malik put a hand on Anzu's shoulder and she looked to him in question. "Isis will transport him safely. For now, he'll be fine. Don't worry too much."

"I'll try," she said quietly and then curled against him as she was swept up by his magic. Unbeknownst to him, it was not just Bakura's life that she feared, but the development of what would happen in Kraion when they arrived.

X

It had been a long time since Seto had last been in Kraion. Apparently Mai felt similarly, because she was gazing up at the castle with a wistful expression. As the others began to appear, he was aware of a horse lingering nearby, pawing at the ground. They had arrived in the thick fields around the city, settled directly against the forest. The night air was still here and it smelled entirely different from that of the pine and natural plants of the forest. As he stood for a moment, breathing in the scent of wheat, distant farm animals and dry soil, he was aware of how long he had been within the forest. He watched as Anzu's mother, Sofia, pulled the horse to where Isis had arrived and the two of them carefully lifted Bakura up onto the horse, which patiently waited for them.

When they had recollected, they solemnly moved towards Kraion. Seto glanced behind him to where Anzu was walking with the horse, Malik walking close beside her, a silent guardian. Even if she was not thinking it, Seto could not help but wonder how the meeting with Yami would develop, especially with two of the three sorcerers having been formerly banished from Kraion. He knew that Anzu would protect them if Yami wished to banish them again, but he was not even sure that would be Yami's reaction to the situation.

Dismissing that from his mind briefly, he turned his eyes to the sky and sighed softly beneath his breath. There were no tree tops obscuring his view of the night sky, but only an open abyss of darkness and silver twinkles in the sky. All around, it was quiet and comforting, with no chatter of vicious animals and only the distant chirrup of crickets.

"Bakura?" Seto heard Anzu's soft voice query when they were nearly to the castle. He paused and looked behind him. Bakura was sitting up in the saddle and while it was clear he was awake, it was also obvious that he was in a great deal of pain in spite of Isis's ministrations. He merely nodded to Anzu and said nothing more. She did not push it and fell silent again. Bakura remained on the horse for the remainder of the venture towards the castle and when they arrived at the gates of the city, they were surprised to find a group of soldiers waiting for them. This made Seto uneasy, as he well recalled the last time he had encountered the soldiers of Kraion.

"They're here," one of the men breathed in relief. He rushed forward, his eyes searching anxiously and then he smiled when his eyes landed on Anzu. "Anzu, you're back!" He reached out and Seto frowned, watching as she moved forward, hugging him. The man had unruly blonde hair and was holding her tightly. "Yami will be so happy to see you again."

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, he's waiting in the castle. Let's hurry." He ushered her forward to the men, who helped her onto a horse immediately. He paused, noticing the others, and then indicated the men to help the others to one of their horses. The men did so, although a few of the elder men cast suspicious looks to the silent sorcerer on the horse. While the blonde man did as well, noting Bakura for who he was, he did nothing more than usher him forward into the city. Seto could tell that, in spite of the man's somewhat unprofessional behavior towards Anzu, it was clear that he still knew how to act responsibly and respectfully. Once everyone was saddled, he climbed on the horse that Anzu was seated on and waved an arm, calling to the group, "Hurry!"

The horses rushed through the empty streets of the city. There was the occasional drunkard passed out in alleys, but for the most part, the streets that the soldier led them on were empty. Seto noticed that Malik remained close behind the man, as though distrustful of him and his intentions towards the princess. The others were silent and followed mutely and whatever passed through their minds was unknown to Seto, though he was certain there was an unnumbered amount of thoughts in Bakura's head. Not for the first time, Seto wondered if he truly wished to know what those thoughts happened to be.

The gates to the castle swung open obligingly and once the last horse had passed, they were securely shut again. As they dashed through the grounds of the castle, Seto was aware of the amount of guards watching them from secure posts in the grounds and he could recall each post, each point of contact and each secluded place on the grounds. He could recall the layout of the castle perfectly from simply looking at it. When he looked to Bakura, he saw the male surveying the castle with a grim expression.

"Here!" The man called over his shoulder to the others as they came to a stop in front of the massive castle. The lanterns were lit outside and as everyone slipped off their horse, a small entourage moved forward to greet them. Seto stiffened, recognizing the prince immediately.

_Well, he hasn't changed much, _Bakura thought, looking at the prince, keeping a hand on his horse. His legs were weak and it felt as though knives were stuck in every place within his body. His eyes could not leave Yami's face. It was grey, as if he had been ill for some time, yet he still held the smooth complexion of a nobleman and appeared as youthful as he had been when Bakura had left Kraion. He still held the handsome angles in his face, although there was a degree of maturity to them. He had thought that he would appear just as he had in the orb, yet seeing him in person was an entirely different experience.

"Thank you," Yami said at first to the queen of Siruean. "I can see that you were able to help them after all."

"I did very little," Sofia told him, inclining her head respectfully as he bowed. "I only helped this man here." She extended a hand to Bakura and Yami's eyes followed her gesture. There was a hint of surprise that crossed his face and Bakura could not help but allow a small smirk to pass over his lips. It was clear that Yami, too, could see the difference in seeing him in a dark orb as opposed to facing him. After a pause, Yami collected himself and then bowed to Bakura.

"Thank you for keeping Anzu safe," he said quietly and slowly rose. Bakura eyed him a moment, considered a few snarky replies, and dismissed each within a minute. Instead, he chose to remain silent. When it was clear he had nothing to say, Yami called out to the group of servants, giving them orders. As everyone was directed inside, Bakura remained outside and as he stood, bracing himself against the horse, he saw Anzu turn her head and meet his gaze. He did not allow it to remain long, turning his eyes from her.

Isis offered her arm and although he would have rather stepped by himself, he knew he would need help in getting inside the castle. He allowed her to guide him inside and another servant followed them, holding a lamp to guide their footsteps inside the brightly lit castle.

X

Anzu lay silently in her bed, watching as the sunlight streamed into her room. It had been so long since she had been in her chambers in Kraion that it seemed odd to be in such a large room with so many fine dresses and furniture. She had been unable to sleep in the huge bed, much less without Malik, who she had become accustomed to sleeping with. She had seen Isis and Malik follow Bakura, so she was comforted that they were not leaving him by himself. As for Seto, he had followed Mai to her own chambers, likely to keep her safe. She did not hear any commotion during the spare few hours that they had of darkness before the sun had begun to rise. She sighed and rolled on her stomach, twisting the blankets around her body. She stared out the window, feeling uncertain and uncomfortable in her current settings. She had been unable to talk to her mother before she was ushered to a bedroom and Yami would not even permit any conversation, telling her simply that they would talk in the morning.

She slipped out of bed and pulled a thin robe around her and stepped out of her bedchambers to the drawing room. She stood in the middle of it, surveying her surroundings, until she heard a light knock. Surprised by it, she moved to the door and then hesitated. After a moment, she unlocked the door and was surprised to find Yami standing in the doorway. He smiled at her. "Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course," she said, stepping back to allow her entry.

"I'm sorry if I woke you..."

"No, you didn't," she assured him and shut the door before stepped away from him, moving to the balcony doors. She pushed the curtains aside, the sunlight spilling onto her face. She heard him move across the room to stand beside her. His hand touched her face and a sudden shock of unease coursed through her. Assuring herself it was simply the recent events, she turned to him and smiled. His face moved close to hers and then, abruptly, he was kissing her. Startled, she pulled away. "Yami?" His mouth twisted into a strange, cruel grin and then she shuddered as his hands locked on her arms. "Yami! Let go!" Anzu kicked at him as she was forcefully dragged to the divan and then she was thrown upon it. His hand hovered above her face and slowly, her heartbeat calmed and she slipped into a deep sleep.

When she awoke next, she was being shaken by someone. She started out of her sleep and Yami was peering down her, an anxious expression on his face. "Anzu? Are you alright? I came up to see if you were doing okay." Beside him, Anzu could see Shizuka's face, a worried look in her eyes.

"Weren't you here already?" she asked. Anzu could not recall seeing Yami earlier that morning, but she was certain she had seen him already. As she peered up into his face, an alarmed look entered his eyes. He slowly shook his head. She frowned and then murmured, "It must have been a dream then..." Although Anzu could not recall any part of the dream, only that she thought she had seen Yami before that moment. Shaking the thought from her mind, she smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm fine." Yami helped her sit up and it was only then that she realized she was on the divan. She recalled getting out of bed, but wasn't sure how she had gotten on the divan. _Something's not right,_ she thought, frowning, but knew better than to worry her fiancé.

"Shizuka, will you start the bath, please?" Yami requested. The girl nodded and hurried away, leaving them alone. "Anzu, are you sure you're okay? You look ghostly white." He settled on the divan next to her and pressed a hand against her cheek worriedly. The gesture caused something to start in her mind, but it failed almost immediately. She smiled at him and nodded.

"I'm just glad to finally be back in Kraion." He eyed her and then slowly nodded, smiling.

"So am I." He pulled her into a hug and she slowly slipped her arms around him, pressing her face into his neck. For a moment, she felt her worries disappear. She forgot that there was a demon after them and as she closed her eyes, she felt as though things might return to normal. "Go ahead and bathe. I need to check on our guests, make certain everything's alright." He withdrew from her and rose to his feet. "I'll see you at breakfast in a bit." She nodded and waited until he left to sigh. There was something in the back of her mind that would not leave her be, but she could not yet grasp it and she unsure as to why.

X

Many of the guests, Yami discovered, had already retired downstairs, with the exception of one. He had left this visit to the end, as he was feeling his courage lacking when facing this particular sorcerer. He stood outside the door, facing it with an unreadable, neutral expression. He reached out and touched the door handle with his fingertips and then withdrew his hand as a memory reached his mind. He closed his eyes and blew out a slow breath. Faintly, the memory returned to him. He recalled standing beside his father, greeting the new court sorcerer. Yami had greeted him with open warmness, but as his eyes touched the latter's, something was deep within them, something that warned him to remain cautious of this man. And it was not yet soon after that Yami learned fear.

"_Little prince," a voice purred as Yami was returning to his chambers. He paused, turning, his eyes narrowing as he recognized Bakura's form in the shadows. He smiled in greeting and bowed respectfully. "It is late for you to be returning. You should always have a guard with you. You never know what things...what _people_ may be lurking in the shadows." He smiled at him once again, yet there was an edge of cruelty within his smile that was not lost on the prince._

"_Yes, I suppose you would know all about that, wouldn't you, Bakura?" Yami returned in a frosty tone. "What are you doing in this wing of the castle? Your chambers are on the other side."_

_For a moment, Bakura said nothing, his mind seeming to drift elsewhere and then he said, "I was escorting the princess back to her own chambers." Yami's frown turned puzzled as he considered this. His sister had been acting out of the ordinary lately and her suddenly involvement with Bakura was yet another thing in which he had to dwell upon. He was not concerned, however, because as far as he could tell, the sorcerer's kind treatment of Mai had not been feigned. What caused him to be such was beyond Yami, but it was not something that bothered him too much at the moment._

"_Then you should be returning to your own chambers, sorcerer." _

"_I intend to," Bakura replied, "after I deliver a message." Swiftly, before Yami was able to react, he crossed the steps that separated the two men and pinned the prince against the wall. He chuckled, gripping Yami's throat, tilting his head back. "My, what an excelling soldier you are," he drawled sarcastically. His thumb dug into the prince's windpipe, causing him to cough, tearing at Bakura's hand. "Listen well, princeling," he murmured, loosening his grip a bit and drawing close, "I will destroy you. The entire royal family will suffer for their actions. Your bloodline is corrupt and nothing will change that. I intend to end it while it still exists." He drew away and then tightening his grip on Yami's throat, he braced his other hand on his shoulder and tossed the prince to the ground. Yami knelt, gasping and choking on needed air._

"_You...dare to threaten me, Bakura?" Yami demanded, whipping around to face him. "What corruption do you speak of? My father has been a good king!"_

"_How little you know," Bakura murmured, "of your family's past." He turned his back to the prince, walking from him._

"_Bakura? Bakura!"_

Yami shook himself from the memory and then glanced up and down the hallway before opening the door. _That was a long time ago, _he told himself. _He has no power over me now. We must remain allies for Kraion. _Yami shut the door behind himself softly and then stepped further into the chambers. The chambers were warm from the fire that was crackling in the fireplace. Rather than putting Bakura in his old bedchambers as he had initially wished to do, he had put him in chambers closer to the royal wing so that he would be given better care. The wing that held Bakura's bedchambers was rarely used and many servants avoided it due to the notoriety of the sorcerer and his Dark Arts.

Yami's eyes moved to the still form of the sorcerer in the bed and stepped further into the room and at the table beside the bed, he poured more water in the empty cup from the pitcher. After standing a moment, surveying the chambers, Yami released a small sigh, feeling hopeless.

"Was there something you needed?" Startled, Yami turned to find the sorcerer awake in bed, staring up at him.

"No," he said, "I simply wished to see that all was well in here...make certain that you've been taken care of. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," was the brief answer he received. Bakura averted his gaze from him, his brows furrowing. "I'll not be any help to you for another day, though. My body is still healing. Isis has been in to do what she can for me." There was a pause and then he said, "She is the one who has been taking care of me."

"I see," Yami said slowly. "None of my servants have been in?"

"No."

_I suppose I should not be surprised, _Yami thought, sighing again. _They are far too suspicious of him, especially with his departure and the rumors that had been floating around of the things he had done. _He glanced at the male again to see that Bakura was still awake, although he was not looking at him. "May I ask you something?"

"Why not?" Bakura dryly asked, turning his gaze back to him.

Yami settled at the end of the bed, sitting on the edge, hesitating. "Once, long ago, you told me that my family was corrupted and it was this, I surmised, that caused you to act as you had towards me and my family towards the end of your time here. I knew nothing of what my family – or my ancestors – had done." A corner of Bakura's mouth tilted upward, as though recalling the meeting. "My great-grandfather's reign was bloody, I learned. In the records I found, they believed him to have been suffering from an ailment of the mind...that the brutalization of his people – of _my_ people, of the people of Kraion – was due entirely to this ailment. I do not believe it, as the man who recorded it was the historian in my great-grandfather's age. He likely wished to make an excuse for him. However, it was near the end of this time that magic users were banished, that common magic using was looked down upon. My grandfather continued such a legacy and while my father had always told me that they were simply banished, I have learned that they were killed by burning or beheading. An entire population was destroyed, to the north of our capital city."

Here Yami hesitated again and rather than looking ahead of him as he had been, he moved his eyes to Bakura, who was staring up at the top of the bed resolutely. "A cluster of villages where they practiced the arts, whether they were healing, normal, or Dark, existed there. One was called Kulnáu, the largest of the villages. There they taught all types of the arts and many were sent to the smaller villages at young ages by themselves in order to show their worthiness to become educated in the Dark Arts, to be given the honor of moving through the rites of a full sorcerer." There was a pause and then Yami said, "The records do not say what happened to those villages. It omits their fate entirely, yet I know that I had never heard of them until then."

"That is because those villages no longer exist," Bakura told him. "At the beginning of his reign, your father, just as his father did, continued the purging of the arts and lit the villages afire. The sorcerers could not use their arts to defend themselves, as your father had some of the best sorcerers within the capital city. While Kulnáu was deep within the arts, many of their people had also been sent to the city to train with the guilds there. After the elimination of his greatest threat, using Kulnáu's own people, he destroyed the guilds and those sorcerers were killed in their sleep after the event. The few sorcerers that did exist fled either to Siruean or to a different land entirely. None were welcome in Hoshäi, as they did not want these frightened sorcerers entering their land, sullying their pure blood. It was either kill or flee and even those that fled were hunted. Only when your father was convinced that those of the villages and especially Kulnáu were gone did he stop his activities. He wanted a spare few sorcerers in Kraion and he only wished them to be within the capital city. Those in other cities he encouraged them to come to the capital city. Those that refused were eliminated or had left Kraion entirely."

"How is it possible for this to have been left out of the records?"

"For the same reason that your great-grandfather was said to be suffering from an ailment," Bakura said grimly. "Your father does not want anyone to know. Only those who were alive would know, but that was a long time ago and many of those who knew have forgotten in light of his new benevolence or they have died."

"Then how do you know?" Yami asked him, a cynical look entering his eyes.

"How long do you believe that I have been alive?" Bakura asked instead, turning his head to look at Yami, who had risen to his feet. "Twenty years? Thirty?" He smiled at him sharply.

"You can't possibly be as old as my father!"

"How do you think Kulnáu thrived? We were a long-living race and we knew how to continue through life through the Arts, just as those in the Arts know how to continue for several days without any sleep, any drink or food."

"Then..." Yami stared at him, disbelieving. "You were there...You saw it happen."

"I saw my people slaughtered," Bakura said shortly. "I saw my people corrupted by their own rise to fame in the city, killing their own family, killing a race of people that had done nothing to deserve it."

The room was silent, with Yami staring at Bakura's face that had gone tight with anger and grief. He looked away, suddenly ashamed of his own heritage. He was related to a man that had obliterated an entire style of life and in spite of the disgust Yami felt for his father, he still loved him, as he had no choice, being his son. He could not hate him for this. He had not known, nor could he change history. "There is nothing I can do to make amends for what they have done, Bakura," he said quietly. "More death will not avenge your people."

"Believe what you will, prince," Bakura told him, "but death is a more than adequate way of vengeance."

X

The following day, after the group had enjoyed a good deal of rest and peace, Yami called each of them into the war room in order to discuss matters. Bakura, feeling a little less weak and after inspecting his body to find it badly bruised, but stronger, he rose from bed and bathed and dressed. It was strange to feel truly rested for once, although his mind was uneasy with the upcoming events. As he existed his chambers, he paused, seeing that Malik had been reached for the handle. The latter raised an eyebrow and dropped his hand. "Well, that was awkward," he remarked and then smiled. "It's good to see you out of bed...and alive for that matter. What were you thinking?"

"Oh, you know," Bakura said smirking, shutting the door behind him, "saving the world, being a hero, that type of thing. I thought I'd try it out for once. Turns out it's not all that fun."

"I imagine," Malik replied with an amused look. "Well, you worried the princess. She thought you were dead." Bakura glanced at him, but said nothing, his face turning more solemn.

"How has she been?"

"As well as can be expected, but I think this has gotten to be a bit too overwhelming for her. She's been acting very disoriented and a bit ill. I've told her to get rest, but she's being stubborn as always and won't listen. Yami just tells me to let her be or else she'll start in on me, as if I don't know how she acts!" Malik's expression turned foul at his and he grumbled, "Fucking prince."

"He's not aware of how close she has gotten to you and Seto," Bakura reminded him. "He was, after all, under the impression we had kidnapped her for the longest time."

"Oh, you should see how he and Seto act with each other!" Malik said, sidetracked by the mention of the third sorcerer. "The entire room turns to ice if they see each other. It's rather amusing, actually. Apparently, when Yami was younger, he would prank Seto constantly with one of the captain's kids. Would dump water on his head from one of the balconies, that type of thing."

"No wonder they don't get along. I would have sent roaches in his room if he did such a thing."

"Well, I think Seto may have retaliated in a similar manner, given the rather black looks they exchange."

"Lovely," Bakura grunted. "More tension. As if we don't have enough." Malik chuckled in return.

The two men traveled downstairs to the war room, where they were admitted by the soldier they now knew as Jounouchi. He gave a respectful bow to them and opened the door, although his eyes drifted elsewhere. Bakura glanced behind him to see Otogi some feet away with a pretty redhead. He saw Otogi smile and kiss her clasped hands. She blushed and looked down. Bakura's eyes flicked back to Jounouchi, who was glowering at the scene. "Your woman?" he queried.

"My sister," he answered, turning his eyes back to Bakura. "Prince or not, he had best not be playing with my sister's emotions or else I'll kill him. She doesn't deserve that treatment." Suddenly realizing to whom he was talking to, Jounouchi quickly said, "But please, they're waiting for you." He ushered inside the room. Bakura eyed him, feeling more inclined to the man the more he spoke to him and then inclined his head, entering the room. Without realizing it, his eyes searched the room and he found a pair that were fixed on him. Anzu smiled at him, appearing relieved. She almost seemed to rise from her chair and then thought better of it. On his part, he found it odd to see her in her royal dress, her hair pinned up elegantly and her clothing made of fine silk and velvet.

He turned his eyes from her and sat between Seto and Malik. As Malik had said, Seto was exchanging death glares with the prince, who snubbed the sorcerer with a snort, turning from him to exchange a word with Otogi as the Siruean prince sat on the direct right of Yami. "I loathe him," Seto muttered, "I really do."

"Obviously," Bakura remarked, exchanging a look with Malik. Isis was seated on her brother's right, on the directly left of the prince of Kraion. The king was not present, but Mai was seated at the other end of the table. The djinn was not visibly present, although Bakura could sense him near. Once everyone was settled, Jounouchi entered the room and shut the door, securely locking it. He withdrew a map from one of the cubbies on the side of the wall and rolled it out from Mai's side of the table and Yami took a hold of it from the other side, with the two men securing it to the table with pins.

"So," Jounouchi cleared his throat, glancing at Mai's still form next to him nervously, "I'll be completely honest. I don't know that any of my men will be able to help in this...I've never even encountered a demon or anything...uh, magical, really."

"We aren't quite sure what we're working with yet, Jounouchi," Yami told him calmly, sensing that his friend was feeling slightly out of place, "so we cannot say for certain that a demon is our only concern. It is, however, our primary concern. We have made a very dangerous enemy and one that not many of us are familiar with." He considered the map for a moment. "I wish for my people to be protected, though. Is there a general understanding that it will be the castle that will be attacked before all else? Or the entire city here?" He directed his question to the sorcerers, raising his eyes to look at them. While he was talking to all of them, his eyes were on Bakura, who had also been peering at the map.

"I believe," he said slowly, "that if we have not had any visits from the demon lately – which I suspect we haven't – it is preparing itself for battle. It will not be alone."

"What else could it possibly bring?" Otogi asked, frowning. "Whenever we dealt with it, its own powers were far too much for us to handle. What do you expect us to do against other such evils?"

"It cannot bring another demon into this realm," Mai assured him, "but that does not mean it has no sway in the creatures within this realm."

"Those from the forest?"

"I think that would be the best bet," Bakura said, lacing his fingers together thoughtfully. "Those creatures have already gone wild due to the dark power of the demon...the Dark Arts have effected them greatly. Not all, mind you, but many that remained within the forest and did not flee to a less polluted area will be easier to possess and I think that the demon knows this and it intends to use that to its advantage. And that is where you may help us, captain." Jounouchi turned his eyes to Bakura in question. "If you and your men can hold the forest creatures at bay, we can deal with the demon."

"Do you really think that our power combined can handle that?" Malik murmured to Bakura so only he could hear him. "We were barely able to tear down that barrier. What if he creates another one?"

"He doesn't have enough power to do that," Bakura answered quietly, turning his head slightly to look at him. "He had to depend on Mai's life force to do that and she is too heavily guarded now for him to attempt that."

"We had best hope that remains true, Bakura, or else there is nothing we will be able to do against this demon."

"My men can barely defend themselves against those creatures as it is," Jounouchi said, having not noticed Bakura and Malik's whispers. "What will make this any different?"

"We will need to erect a shield around the city to protect yourselves from the creatures. If you have good archers, then you should be safe. But we need them distracted. Even that shield will not last forever, given the amount of proximity it will be covering. I would not depend entirely on the archers. We will only be able to construct a shield for a certain amount of time and then it will break. That is all we can promise."

"The Arts!" Jounouchi sputtered. "You expect me and my men to depend on your Arts?"

_Here it comes, _Bakura thought grimly.

"It is not an evil thing, Jounouchi," Anzu spoke up quietly, interrupting what was likely to be a very energetic rant on the soldier's part. "It protected me when I was in the forest...not everything in the Arts is evil."

"You know that they won't see it that way, Anzu," Jounouchi said after a moment's hesitation in which he recomposed himself. "You know what his reputation is in Kraion. The men will never accept help from a sorcerer! They always resented there being a court sorcerer and certainly after the last two, there will be no negotiating with them." He sent a look to Seto and Bakura as he spoke, to indicate which of the two court sorcerers he spoke of. Seto's mouth thinned to a straight line at the accusation, but Bakura regarded him placidly, unbothered by his insinuations.

"Then they will need to choose between their kingdom and their own pride, won't they?" Anzu returned sharply. Jounouchi flinched, as if she had slapped him. "What they have done in the past in nobody's concern. If they wish for their people, their king, and their kingdom to be run down because they chose to reject the help they were given, then they are not real men, but cowards and I suggest you remember that, too, Jounouchi."

"I never said that I was declining the offer!" Jounouchi immediately told her, offended. "I'm just stating the facts and I know my men and how they feel about sorcerers and magic and they don't like it."

"Then perhaps it is time we rekindle our relationship with both of those things," Yami spoke up in the tense silence that followed. He sighed and stood up. "Long has Kraion feared the Arts and what they represent. There has been evil in both non-magic and magical things and I wish for my people to remember the good that came from the Arts long ago. We were once a prosperous kingdom, one that accepted all people, of every race, with every interest. It is time that we return to that kingdom...rather the one that has developed recently. The Kraion people must accept that there is a time and place for everything and it is once again time for the Arts to emerge and protect our kingdom. My father may not agree...but as I am to become king, I wish for our people to no longer fear this magic, but to embrace it. Jounouchi," Yami spoke to him, "if they express discontent, as we are both certain they will, remind them to whom they are loyal. If they cannot trust me, their future king, or my decisions, then you are to dismiss them."

Jounouchi opened his mouth, appearing conflicted, but then it snapped shut and he put a hand to his heart and bowed his head. Yami's face softened and he quietly said, "If you, too, cannot trust me, my friend, then I'm afraid I will need to dismiss you, too."

"It's not you that I distrust, my lord," Jounouchi said formally, "but the men that you lie your trust in."

"The other sorcerers are in hiding, dead, or are in another country. Who would you have me put my faith in? This is not a matter for mortal men, as you have said, Jounouchi, but a matter for those involved in the Arts and even more so for those involved in the Dark Arts. I can depend on nobody else. This is all the help that I was given when searching for Anzu and this is all the help that I shall receive. Forgive me for putting you in such a position, but it is necessary."

"I am loyal to you, no matter what decision you make."

"Thank you." Yami smiled at him and then surveyed the others at the table. "We have much to prepare for. Jounouchi, get your men ready. As for the others, I'm not sure how you need to prepare."

Bakura stood up. "We will need to do some brewing – healing brews, any type of potion that might help. As it happens, your... fiancée...has become adept at creating such things." Yami's eyebrows rose in surprise. "As for myself, I'll be needing to consult my spell books that your sister has taken for herself and do some exploring at an old haunt of mine."

"One that I, at least, have yet to discover," Yami said with a wry look to Mai. "But I imagine that it is as you left it, Bakura. In the meantime, I'll need to consult with my father."

"I'm not certain that is the best idea," Mai spoke up suddenly. "Father's behavior as of late has been out of the ordinary and if he has been effected by the demon, then it, too, will know of our plans. I'd prefer we not tell him quite yet."

"Then what do we do?" Yami's expression turned to worry.

"If he is in his right mind, he will understand if you talk to him."

"Alright...And...what do you three need to do in order to prepare?" Yami turned his attention to the Hoshäi siblings and Seto.

"I will help with the potions," Isis stated, "but we need no more preparation than that."

"Very well. And..._you?_" There was a pause in the room while everyone watched as Yami and Seto stared each other down.

"I'll need time to consult my own spell books, as well," Seto told him curtly. Yami returned a brief nod in answer.

As both men turned from each other, they were thinking the same thing. _I really don't like him one bit._

_TBC_

X

DIS: I was originally going to end this at nine pages, but there were so few scenes, that I felt it was better to continue until now. Please leave me a review letting me know how I did, what could be better, how I could improve, etc. I'm always open to concrit! Ciao!


	19. Chapter Nineteen

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, the feedback helps a ton. Here's the next chapter to enjoy!_

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Nineteen_

In spite of the somber attitude and the increasing conflict, Anzu realized that she needed a moment to relax from everyone else. Rather than settling in bed or drinking tea like most princesses were apt to do, she donned her riding habit and briskly walked down to the stables. The stable boy stuttered in surprise, jolting to his feet, but she paid him no mind. In the back, she found her horse settled comfortably. He neighed softly upon seeing her. Smiling, she led him from the stables, stroking his mane. The stable boy followed and hastily saddled the horse and stepped back, bowing low, though she saw him tip his head to peek up at her.

She climbed atop the horse and patted its strong neck, murmuring, "Let's ride again, Jaíne, shall we?" He tossed his head seeming in agreement and with some encouragement from her, he rushed into a gallop. She led him from the grounds of the castle and through the city. She saw the people look at her curiously, but she ignored their stares, focused on only one place. After she had reached the gates of the outer wall, she burst from the confined space and into the wide, open area outside the city. She leaned down against Jaíne's neck, feeling the air whip against her face. Briefly, she closed her eyes and sighed, as though a weight had lifted from her. Once they were some ways from the city, she pulled him into a gentle canter and turned back to look at the capital city of Kraion, with its castle's sharp edges and the house's angular tops.

Turning from it, she led Jaíne back into a steady gallop, dodging sharp rocks that jutted forth from the fields. She could not think of Kraion as home. She had never truly been able to call Kraion home. It seemed too strange of a place to her. Even her own kingdom, Siruean, was an odd place to call home, given the many weeks she had spent in Kraion recently. Once, she would visit every few days to become acquainted with her betrothed and he, too, would visit her, but she had always though of Siruean as her home. Now, however, she could only recall the closeness of the cottage in the forest. She wondered what would happen to it with the sorcerers' absence.

She briefly glanced to the dark line of the forest and then urged her horse into a gentle gallop towards the thick golden fields. This time, Anzu did not look back at the city, nor did she look to the forest. Anzu squinted as the clouds uncovered the sun on the horizon, where it hit the wheat at the right angle, turning the scene to a warm orange and the spare trees in the field turned black with only the sunlight streaming through their leaves. The wind dashed through the field, pushing back the wheat and snapping against her face. However, Anzu was unbothered, accustomed to the elements. Ahead, she spotted a figure outlined from the sunlight and frowned, turning her horse towards the figure. As she drew closer, she felt a bit of anxiety jump in her stomach as she recognized who it was.

"Are you well enough to be out here by yourself?" Anzu asked Bakura as she drew beside him, Jaíne shaking the hair from his face.

"I'm sure Malik would find me eventually," was all the sorcerer said in response, smiling wryly. "But yes, I'm quite fine. Mai will be showing me to my old lab here shortly, so I took advantage of the time I had before needing to revisit that place." He frowned briefly and then said, "My question is, do you think it wise to be out here without anyone?"

"I'm close enough to the city that I should be safe," she replied and then dismounted, petting her horse and after tying the reins around the saddle, allowed Jaíneto trot a few feet from them, snuffling at the tree and the bit of grass that was growing around it. Anzu stood silently for a long moment, watching the breeze slip over the field. She glanced beside her at Bakura, who had his arms crossed and was staring towards the forest with a brooding expression. "I miss the cottage," she admitted, looking from him.

"It will have been overtaken by the animals by now," Bakura replied. "With me gone, the shield I placed around it will not have lasted."

"What of your books?"

"I have them. The one advantage to knowing the Arts is that you can pack up rather quickly and travel light."

Anzu found herself at a loss for words again. She was unsure why, but after everything and being in a familiar place made her feel awkward and unsure of how to speak to him. She blew out a breath and drew her arms around herself, her brow wrinkling. She had never had a reason to not speak with Bakura – at least not recently – and yet she could not find anything to say to him. She was uncertain what to say. She felt his eyes on her, but refused to meet his gaze. "I'm standing right next to you like always, but for once, I feel so far away," she said quietly.

"Kraion does seem to have that effect." Anzu raised her eyes to his face to find that he was still looking at her. A corner of his mouth tilted upward in a caustic smirk. "The fact that you recognize it is only proof that you were not born in the right station in life." His mouth turned down slowly. "Or maybe you were born in the correct one so that you could do something about it." He eyed her and then uncrossed his arms, tilting her face up. "This place will destroy you," he whispered softly. She closed her eyes as his lips touched hers. Her lips were cold against his and when he withdrew, he pulled her into his embrace and she buried her face against his chest.

Abruptly, a pain began behind her eyelids, as if she were on fire. She put her palm to her forehead and when it continued to build, she stumbled away from Bakura. Dimly, she felt his hand reach out for her, but instead she slapped it away and fell down, clutching her head. When she was able to open her eyes, she looked to Bakura who had been approaching her. An alarmed look crossed his face and he took a step back. "Bakura?" Anzu queried. She gagged and then the bright colours of the field vanished as she fell sideways in a faint.

X

Malik had been wandering the field for a minute and when he finally found Bakura, he was relieved to see that the sorcerer was unharmed. While he had been in bed, contemplating a few things and attempting some sleep, Bakura's voice had entered his head suddenly, demanding, _Come to the field outside the city immediately._ He had been unsure of what had happened, thinking that perhaps Bakura had been injured, but as that was clearly not the case, something else had occurred. There was a horse nearby that instantly broke away as soon as Malik approached, appearing skittish and uneasy. Uncomfortable with the animal's behavior, Malik made a wide circle around it and then came to Bakura's side, asking, "What is it?" However, he saw the still figure of the princess's body lying on the ground some feet from him. "What the - ?" He turned to Bakura indignantly. "Why did you just leave her there? What happened?"

"I think it's better that I don't touch her," Bakura told him. "When I did, she started having some sort of head pains and then fainted." Malik noticed how his eyes turned from her and knew that he had omitted some detail.

"Right now would not be a wise time to lie about things, Bakura," Malik said coldly, moving to Anzu and carefully gathering her in his arms.

"Her eyes...," he slowly said, frowning. "There was something...wrong...with them. I can't explain it." Malik eyed him and after determining that there was nothing else to be said, he simply sighed.

"I'll take her to the castle and get her in her own bed. I'll come to see you afterward." Bakura merely nodded vacantly and after Malik had disappeared, he glanced at the horse that had fled, charging towards the city in clear fright. If it had been only Bakura's imagination, he would not have been as bothered, but the animal's behavior had been far too indicative.

After a pause, he, too, returned to the castle. He did not waste time in finding Mai, who was clearly as uncomfortable with Kraion as everyone else was and was silent in their venture towards his lab. She led him to the empty wing of the castle where very few servants walked. The corridors were dim and high upon the vaulted ceilings, one could make out the slumbering shadows, lonesome souls that remained from the exercise of the Dark Arts. In spite of the earlier event with Anzu, it did not fail to amuse Bakura to see those souls lingering in the corridors that he had once inhabited. Even though it had been some time since they had last volunteered their services to the court sorcerer, they still remained, waiting for him. A few drifted down, curling around the couple. Mai simply glanced coolly at them, while Bakura paid them no attention at all.

They followed them to the end of the wing where a single portrait hung. Mai pulled it back and gently swiped her fingers over the brick exactly three places down and after a moment, she pushed it in, holding it until there was the sound of a click. She returned the portrait to its place and then stepped back until the resounding clicks ended and the bricks pulled forward slightly. She reached forward and drew the wall to the side just enough to allow them to step through. Bakura pulled it closed firmly behind them. With a wave of his hands, the torches that lied on each side of the staircase were alit with flames. The thick shadows disappeared and at the end of the staircase a simple door stood. The two descended towards the door and after opening it, the torches around the room were once again lit by Bakura.

"I left it as it was when you left Kraion," Mai told him, shutting the door behind him. He surveyed the lab. It was, in fact, untouched, with the exception of the chest and cabinet where his spell books were placed. There was a far greater deal here than he had in the cottage. Everything that he had gained from the villages of his home he had here and unfortunately he had been able to only take the small amount he did to the cottage. He had known that he was the only one besides Mai that knew of the location of his lab and he was certain that, even if they had known, the souls lingering in his wing of the castle would not allow the guards passage.

As Bakura began to search through the spell books for the ones that he would need, Mai settled at a chair next to the work table. The djinn followed her faithfully, yet as she closed her eyes, sighing, it whispered, "The demon...it has been inside the castle."

"You're certain?" she asked him, turning in surprise.

"Yes," Bakura interrupted, "it has been in here. Your father has most likely been plagued by it already." He paused, considering a moment. He found himself facing the glass of the cabinet, staring at his own reflection. Distantly, he could recall looking into a mirror and seeing merely a shadow of himself, drained and unrecognizable. Shaking that thought from his head, he frowned. _Anzu could not have interacted with the demon. She's been heavily guarded. _"Mai, was anyone with Anzu the first night we arrived here?"

"No, Malik wanted to sleep in her chambers, but my brother very politely told him that he had a better room for him. Malik wasn't willing to start conflict immediately, so he complied. I know he's been sneaking into her chambers at night and guarding her in her sitting room. Do you think that the demon may have gotten to her?"

"It's possible," Bakura replied in an aloof tone, opening one of the cabinets and selecting a few jars. Mai's eyes narrowed on him suspiciously. Feeling her gaze, he added, "Even if it has, there's nothing we can do about it now."

"She could be possessed by the demon," Mai said, rising to her feet, glaring at him. "Don't try and act like you don't care, as if it doesn't effect you."

"It doesn't," Bakura snapped irritably, turning to face her. "Anzu's not my primary concern right now. Unfortunately, your brother is. What happens to her is of no consequence to me. She's not the first to inherit any throne. She's nothing but a princess and that is all. Your brother and Otogi are the ones most at risk at the moment. The only thing I care about is eliminating the demon and going back to my life."

"You're only acting like this because we're in Kraion," Mai said, approaching him. "I understand better than you think. You can't stop caring for her, Bakura, and you know that if you pretend to ignore this, it will worsen. She could be used as a tool against Yami...or against you."

"Please," he scoffed, rolling his eyes, "she has no power over me."

"Then why are you doing this? For Yami? You were never the demon's primary target, yet you redirected its attention towards you. It was a selfless act, something that you never would have done in the past. You would have let that demon control Kraion, ruin it, destroy it, but you didn't."

"You act as if what happens in Kraion doesn't affect me, but it does and it already had begun to. The animals were becoming wild and because of the demon – and you – I was stuck in a small space, unable to gather many of the materials I needed outside of the barrier. I assure you that all of this is purely selfish."

"And I know for a fact that you are lying." Mai crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at him. "Why lie about it? Why lie about what you feel? Everyone can see that she looks to you for comfort, for support, that you give it and you, in turn, protect her." Bakura said nothing for a long while, staring at the jars in his hands with a hard frown upon his lips. For once, Mai saw him as a small child, lost and unsure as to where to go. It was one of the first times she had ever seen weakness in him.

"She is engaged to Yami," Bakura said at last, "and there is nothing more to be said. We have work to do." Abruptly, he turned from her and begun to pull other things from the cabinets, setting them on the counter. She sighed and then glanced at her djinn, who had a contemplative look upon his face. He was her only friend and even he seemed to understand Bakura's position. When he simply gave his head a slight inclination, indicating to abandon the topic, she began to gather the items and move them to the work table to begin the complex potions her old teacher would be creating. Unbeknownst to her, inside his mind, Bakura was tortured by the words she had spoken to him and even his own words seemed to harass him.

X

Yami stepped down into the courtyard and found himself entering a rather heated argument between Otogi and Jounouchi. He had just been to see Anzu after discovering that she had fainted out in the field. Malik had very firmly told him that he would remain within her bedchamber in order to make certain all was well with her until Yami returned, as her horse was still missing from the stables. Uncomfortable with the raised voices, Yami hesitated and considered taking a new route down to the stables, but with a resigned sigh, he continued forward.

"...rogue with nothing better to do than seduce innocent women!" Jounouchi was raging. "You think that just because you are a prince, you can treat people that way?"

"Treat people how?" Otogi returned coldly. "I have done nothing but treat Shizuka with respect and yet you act as if I have been lascivious."

_Why am I not surprised that this is what it's about? _Yami thought to himself as he rounded a corner, appearing in the area where the two men were standing face to face.

"You don't know what's going through her mind. She thinks you're serious about her."

"And why should I not be?"

"HA! You?" Jounouchi gave a derisive snort and then glared at him. "You would never truly consider my sister for anything more than a mistress or a plaything. She likes you enormously and yet all you do is treat her with sarcasm!"

"I care nothing for your sister's position," Otogi said, his voice rising slightly, "and I'd appreciate if you would think better of me. I have never and will never be obsessed with those sorts of details. She is a wonderful woman and I've thought nothing less of her. I would never disrespect her in such a way and – " He stopped as he noticed Yami, who was standing with his arms folded, waiting for the scene to end. Jounouchi, following Otogi's gaze, turned and then flushed in embarrassment. "Apologies," Otogi murmured, giving a stiff bow. "I wasn't aware you were there."

"Apology accepted," Yami said dryly, "however...I believe I told you not to confront him on this, Jounouchi."

"He is not even making any pretense at decorum," Jounouchi immediately said, shooting a dirty look towards Otogi, who returned with a frosty stare of his own. "He continues to flaunt my sister without even given her the benefit of some sort of courtship. He acts as if he owns her already, even though he never even asked _me_ for any such permission."

"It was no fault of my own," Otogi defended himself at Yami's raised eyebrows. "His sister loathed to tell him, knowing that he would act like this, no doubt." He waved a hand disgustedly towards the warrior, who straightened, appearing to be readying himself for another rant.

"Thank you," Yami interrupted sharply. "Otogi, why don't you go see your sister? I'm sure she'd like to see you." Otogi frowned, but nodded and passed Yami to go towards the castle. Jounouchi watched him and then released a long breath, storming over to the fountain and sitting on it, scrubbing at his hair. "I've watched them both and I do think that he's sincere, Jounouchi. He does genuinely like her."

"The thought of someone like that being with Shizuka..." He shook his head. "She's too nice for him, too sweet."

"Well," Yami sighed, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "maybe that's what he needs." Jounouchi looked at him, his brow furrowing. Yami smiled and then patted his shoulder. "Come on. Anzu's horse, Jaíne, is missing, and I'd like to find him before nightfall." Jounouchi nodded and followed him, more than willing to do something productive to rid his mind of his sister's relationship. As they both hurried through the courtyard down towards the stables, Yami said, "Anzu was out in the field today and fainted. I'm worried about her health. She hasn't been as strong as she usually is."

"I'm sure it's just the stress from everything. She should have rested more. She's been up and about, taking care of all kinds of things. The morale in the city has gone up since she's returned, though. It's too bad that Bakura had to come with her."

Yami said nothing to this, although his mind turned to the worse as they arrived at the stables. As the stable boy fetched their horses, he considered over the sorcerer carefully. Bakura had been nothing but honest and obliging since his return to Kraion, far more than Yami would have ever expected. In addition, the Hoshäi sorcerer had diligently watched over Anzu, even though it had not been asked of him and even though there appeared to be no real connection to the two other than that Malik had been present in the cottage while Anzu had remained there. It worried Yami for reasons he was not entirely clear on. More than anything, though, Bakura's quiet attitude worried Yami. He knew the sorcerer well, with his biting remarks and sarcasm, yet he had seen very little of that, if any. It was strange to him and there was an inkling of a suspicious in his mind, but he did not wish to consider it too deeply.

_It seems that there is still much that I need to discover from Anzu's time with them, _Yami thought, _but I'm not sure that I want to know. Bakura has been helpful and I have treated him as I would any other guest. This does not mean that he is welcome, nor that I – or anyone else – have forgotten the things he did the last time he was here. I can briefly forgive him, but if he believes that he can stay here afterward, he is mistaken. He and Seto were banished for good reason. The Dark Arts were not to be used in the manner that they did and regardless of whether they have changed, I cannot have them in my kingdom and especially not my city. If they have polluted Anzu's mind and she disagrees, I will have to put my foot down on this. She could not understand the danger they could put everyone in. She has no comprehension._

"Ever think it's time for a rest?" Jounouchi grumbled as he mounted his horse.

"I think," Yami said, lightly hopping onto his own horse, "that we will never get a rest." He smiled. "Princes and captains alike are far too busy keeping things in order."

After the two had split up and searched the city for the horse – and finding it nowhere and gaining no information from the people on any whereabouts – they met at the gate of the city, with Yami there before his friend. Jounouchi merely shook his head and they left the city, although Jounouchi suddenly hesitated. "I should have a guard here, just in case."

"It's already beginning to get dark, Jounouchi. We won't go far, just near the place where Anzu was found and a bit near the walls. I don't want to be out here without protection, either, but if we proceed carefully, we should be safe." Jounouchi hesitated again, but after Yami began to move forward, he, too, urged his horse forward. In spite of his own words, Yami felt an inkling of fear creep up his spine. The sun was far closer to setting than he had made it seem. There was still light spilling across the fields and grasses, but the shadows that were forming from the lack of light made him uneasy. After they had gone about half a league, Yami paused, pulling his horse up short. The horse pawed at the ground, backing away.

"Do you smell that?" Jounouchi asked, coughing and covering his face. "It smells as if something's rotting. It didn't smell like this earlier today when I did my rounds..."

With some difficulty, the men pushed their horses further. They were loath to remove themselves from them in case they took off and they, too, were lost. There was not enough daylight for that convenience and they had very little weapons. The smell became worse as they moved forward and some ways away, Yami spotted a large piece of an animal. He covered his mouth and nose and peered closely at the dark shape. "I think we've found Jaíne. There's nothing we can do for him, though. His body is being eaten out by magggots."

"He can't have been dead that long, though!"

"Let's get back to the city," Yami said sharply and turned his horse about. Jounouchi hastily complied. Yami did not wish to linger near that scene too long. He could tell that something evil had been done to Anzu's horse. As he moved towards the city, however, there was a sudden gust of wind and both men's horses screamed, rearing up. Swearing, Yami kept a hold of the reins, tightening his thighs against the sides of the beast. He saw, then, a dark shape sweeping through the grass, moving quickly towards them. He heard Jounouchi's sharp intake of breath behind him.

"I-it's...it's the-the...," his friend stuttered behind him. As the dark shape came before them, it rose high above them. For a moment, they were stunned, staring into the dark eyes of the creature. They could make out very little of its body, with the exception of its large eyes. They shone malevolently at them and slowly, it's long mouth stretched into a smile that was full of sharp teeth. There came a terrible stench from the demon's mouth and Yami had to control his throat in order to not release any of the bile. As one thin arm drew from the dark mass, there was a collection of cracks, as if the demon was unaccustomed to using its arms. As it reached out, however, something flickered in its gaunt face and then it released a hiss and its arm withdrew as it hunched its back.

"You're not ready for this battle yet, demon," a familiar, gravelly voice murmured. Yami started in surprise and looked to see that Bakura had appeared. "I suggest you go on your way."

The demon's teeth parted and it shrieked, a horrible, bone-crushing shriek. The horses stirred out of fright, nearly tossing the men over their neck. Bakura whipped his hand out towards the horses and they abruptly calmed, their muscles relaxing beneath the men. Another hand shot out towards the demon and a chunk of dark was tossed from the demon. It released another scream, this one of rage. As burgundy goo spilled from its body, it raised itself, readying to attack Bakura, who stood his ground, waiting. It paused, tilting its head and then slunk into the ground, fleeing. The smell left with its departure and only once the calm had returned to the area did Bakura stir, looking to the prince and Jounouchi.

"Idiots," he spat at them. "You come out when it's about to be nightfall, with only the two of you, and you expect not to be attacked? Have you lost all intelligence, Yami, or did you actually gain an unbearable ego?"

"I did not expect to be detained this long," Yami said briefly. "We were just on our way back."

"I'm aware," he said curtly and moved round to snap at Jounouchi, "Get on the horse with your lord. Now!" The captain, cowed by Bakura's temper, quickly obliged. Bakura pulled himself onto the horse with one swift movement and snapped his fingers. Without a word from Yami, his horse lurched forward, as if commanded by the sorcerer. Yami felt thoroughly embarrassed and a bit angry, as well, for Bakura's harsh treatment. He glanced behind him to see the sorcerer close behind, although he was not looking at him, but out at the fields. He grunted and raised his hands. They glowed a faint white and in an instant, the entire field lit up. There were several dark creatures roaming the fields and a moment later, each were struck with the white light that had lit the field. Screams were heard and only after the last, long whine of death had been heard did Bakura turn from the field and hasten his horse's pace.

When they had reached the city's gate, the men that were guarding it opened it up, explaining that they had closed it when they saw the white light. "Sorcery, sir!" one of the men said to Yami. "It was pure sorcery!"

"What the fuck else did you think it would be?" Bakura demanded of him, leaning down from his horse to glare at him. "A sign from the gods that they were blessing your crops?" He then turned to Yami, gesturing towards the gaping man. "What, have you kept your people completely oblivious? They'll be dead if they wander out there by themselves from now on." Giving a disgusted sound, he pushed his way through the guards and Yami, once again in control of his horse, followed.

"Please keep the gates closed and the people within the city as much as you can," he quietly told him. "I don't want any dark creatures to enter here, nor anyone to encounter them." The guards' eyes went round and both quickly nodded.

"That was all unnecessary, Bakura," Yami told him as soon as they had arrived at the castle and had dismounted. "Those men didn't deserve to be spoken to that way."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bakura said sarcastically, "did you want me to sugarcoat it? Let's see, how would I go about saying that? Oh, yes. Something akin to 'the creatures are really fluffy adorable things that will only harm you if you kick it,' is that what you'd like me to say?"

"What's with your attitude?" Jounouchi demanded, infuriated by the sorcerer's rude manners. "You should be thankful our prince let you come back into Kraion without any harm done to you! He's let you stay at the castle and has been hospitable and this is how you repay it?"

"How I repay _what_ exactly? Who has been taking care of me? Someone in _my_ company. The most that I was given was a place to sleep and access to _my_ lab. And let me remind you that you both would be dead had I not been keeping a close eye on you. Did I know you'd be stupid enough to go outside the city? Yes. Did I think you'd do it immediately? I had a suspicion. I had hoped that you'd have enough intelligence to search outside the castle _first_ since you could remain in the city after nightfall without any real harm coming to you. Instead, you leave that until afterwards." Bakura paused, waiting for them to argue, but both were silent, staring at him with hateful stares. "Now...That demon will not come inside here with so many people by itself, but once it amasses enough of the creatures from the forest – and from whatever realm it took those that were in the field – it will try to overtake the capital city and Kraion, so I suggest that you remember the type of threat we have to deal with."

He turned from them and he heard Yami saying something to Jounouchi and a moment later, Yami was running after him. Bakura stiffened when the prince took his arm, pulling him around to face him. He saw the captain taking the horses down to the stables, although not with a final dirty look towards the sorcerer. "Anzu could have been killed out there," Yami told him, a hard look on his face. "Why was she out there in the first place? You wouldn't have allowed her out there in the first place."

"I didn't bring her out there, she came out on her own accord. Do you think that I would put her in that type of danger?" Yami opened his mouth and then paused, a puzzled look crossing his face. Bakura swore in his mind, realizing that he had let far too much come out in that question. "I was out there by myself. I asked for Malik to come out, he came out. I was surveying the area. It already had signs of corruption in there. Livestock suddenly rotting, the farmers fighting. The demon intends to kill you from the inside, without doing very little by himself." As he turned to leave again, Yami stopped him.

"Bakura." With an exasperated sigh, he turned back to look at him. "What reason do you have to care about Anzu? She is nothing to you, nothing to any kingdom, really, except a pawn to use in bonding kingdoms. So why do you care?"

"I don't," Bakura answered mildly and then considered for a moment. "She's good for a bit of fun, that's all." He gave a slight shrug. "I wouldn't want a bit of entertainment to get itself in trouble." Yami's eyes smoldered with anger and Bakura was sure that he would have hit him. Instead, he turned away from him again and then paused, noticing the two females standing there. Isis gave him a disapproving look and Anzu, standing beside her, turned her gaze from him and walked past him to Yami. Bakura's mouth thinned, but he left the couple, moving inside instead. Isis watched him, but said nothing, even as he passed her. Inside his mind, Bakura heard the familiar words echo in his head, "_She is engaged to Yami, and there is nothing more to be said."_

_There _is_ nothing more to be said, _he thought as he heard Anzu speak to Yami, "I was coming to find you to make sure you were alright...Isis said you went out to find Jaíne." _There's nothing I can do for her right now. As soon as we are rid of the demon, I can return to my old life and..._

_And what? _he thought, passing through the castle and then to the doors of the courtyard, where he slipped out. He stood in the middle of it for a long time, with the moon peering through the cover of clouds. _What then will I have to motivate me in my life? Yami is no longer a target for my vengeance for my people. He would rather integrate sorcerers and the arts back into Kraion than allow his people to continue the way they have. He knows that they are becoming too superstitious, too foul of a race with their continued way of life. So...what, then? _

Bakura sat upon a bench and sighed, pushing his hand through his hair, staring at the ground. As he sat, Anzu's face passed through his mind. She was skilled at keeping a controlled face for her fiancé, but Bakura was not so easily tricked. He saw the pain and hurt in her eyes, the slight tremble in her step. He knew that she would be crying when she went to bed tonight and it was his fault.

He laughed softly and bitterly to himself. "So be it," he muttered. "Let her cry and I hope she hates me for it, too." He rose to his feet and left the courtyard to return to his lab to work.

_TBC_


	20. Chapter Twenty

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Twenty_

The next morning, Anzu sat in her drawing room, drinking tea and playing a hand of cards with her mother and Shizuka. There was not much for her to do and the men were all occupied with their own preparations, including her brother. Her mother, who had been silent for much of their time in Kraion, had been sending her questioning looks all morning. Shizuka was far too content in containing herself in her own realm of happiness to notice any of the issues that had risen, but Sofia was not so blind. Her mother had always been more quiet than anyone else in their family, but with her silence Anzu knew she observed more and though to everyone else she was unchanged, to her mother Anzu could see that she aware of her inner turmoil. It was not so much turmoil as it was pain, either.

The sting of Bakura's words had warped her own view of him and she was unsure as to what to think of the sorcerer. She could not help but consider over every word he had said, every action, and wonder at the validity of them. He had never spoken any words of kindness, nor had he ever made any true gesture of kindness that was directed towards her. Last night she had tried to console herself, to assure herself that it was simply because he was speaking to Yami, yet his cold glance and behavior she could not forget. For the first time since arriving in Kraion, she had been aware of Malik outside in the drawing room and when she had exited her bedchambers early that morning, she saw that he was in a bitter mood. After he had seen her awake and wrapped up with breakfast from Shizuka, he had left, his mood no less foul than her own. She wished he had stayed and spoken with her. Malik had always been able to comfort her and she felt most vulnerable now.

As she took a drink of her tea, she met her mother's eyes. Sofia smiled at her, but said nothing. Even though Anzu could sense her mother trying to silent give her support, it wasn't quite enough. She needed to talk and she doubted that this was something that she could speak to with anyone but one of the sorcerers. Otogi certainly would not understand, loathing Bakura, and her mother, being one of those who had arranged the betrothal, would likely be biased.

After the hand of cards had been finished, Anzu begged leave and Shizuka cleaned up while Sofia and Anzu left her chambers. Outside, Sofia touched her daughter's elbow, catching her attention. "I'm unsure as to what's on your mind," she told her quietly, "but I know that you'll be okay in the end." Anzu smiled faintly and hugged her before they parted.

Anzu didn't know where any of the sorcerers were roomed at, as Yami had strangely kept that information well-guarded. The castle was large and she didn't know where Malik would be, nor did she know where Bakura's lab was at, but she did know where one of the sorcerer's would be. After she passed through the castle, she moved outside into the royal gardens and as she had expected, she found Seto sitting near one of the fountains with a large spell book in one of his hands. When she approached, he looked up and shut the spell book. "Have you gotten very far?" she asked curiously.

"A bit," he replied, "but there's nothing in here that I didn't already know. Bakura's given me a useless book. But you're not here to talk about spells, I imagine." He gestured for her to sit. "Have a seat." She did as he bade, smoothing her skirts out. The two of them in companionable silence for a long moment, both staring up at the looming castle. For each of them, it appeared as an impregnable force, yet also one of deadly intent, a trap in which no one could escape. "This place is hard for everyone," Seto said at last. "Isis and Otogi have handled it better than anyone, yet Malik has been restless – more so than usual," he added at Anzu's glance. "I can hardly sleep and I know that neither Bakura nor Mai sleep at all. If she does, it is forced on her by her djinn and it is never far away from her teacher." He gave a grim smile. "It's as if we're in the past." He stirred from his thoughts, saying, "But Malik's told me that Bakura's performed a nice bit of treachery to you. How are you feeling?"

"How did Malik find out?" Anzu asked because although she was aware of his knowing, she was uncertain as to where he had obtained his information.

"As it happens, Malik seems to have become a little less spiteful towards his sister and she let him know about it. He's not too pleased with Bakura at the moment, regardless of whether his words were honest or not." Anzu said nothing to this, taking note of Seto's words. He, it seemed, also appeared uncertain as to Bakura's attitude. "I know that you've come to find comfort, princess, but I can offer none. What Bakura feels, what he thinks, is beyond anyone but himself. If it is any comfort to you, you can at least be assured that he was attracted to you." A grim smile crossed Seto's lips, but it did not linger.

"If only that were all I felt," she murmured, "then maybe it would be." He eyed her for a moment and then sighed, turning his gaze from her face again to look at the castle. For the first time, Anzu felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She had fought the feelings valiantly, pretending it was just admiration, even telling herself it was merely attraction. Angrily, she wiped the tears away, hoping that Seto hadn't noticed. When they continued however, she felt his pitying gaze on her. "I'm going to...," she muttered, but never finished the sentence, leaping from the bench and hastening away. Blindly, she wandered further into the gardens and when she saw the castle farther away, she leaned against a bush and sobbed into her hands. She felt torn, knowing how much she was hurting from Bakura's words and yet also knowing that the love her fiancé felt for her was for naught because she did not return it in the same manner.

"I hate you," she said quietly, even though Bakura was nowhere near. "I hate you!" She slumped down, wrapping her arms around her legs and crying into her dress.

For some time, Anzu remained like that, her face buried in her dress. Once her legs began to cramp and weariness overtook her from the crying, she rose to her feet and wiped her damp face. She sniffled, feeling pathetic and began to walk the way she had come. However, she paused, turning to look back. It felt as if there was a small tug in her brain, pulling her the other way. Still, she hesitated and looked back towards the castle. There was nobody near to hear her. She had run some ways and doubted even Seto would be able to hear her from the tall bushes and trees. After another hesitation, she turned towards where the tug was pulling her, moving cautiously. She moved through the trees and then stopped as she came to a clearing. Ahead of her was the royal suite, which had been empty and unused since Mai had occupied it. She shivered, feeling dread spill over her. _There's something here, _she thought, _and I'm unprotected. I don't even have a sword. _She backed away, but then something shifted and she knew that it was too late.

X

A crack went through one of the orbs that Isis had situated on the long table in the gardens. She paused in her work and Malik, who had been ranting to her as he helped her, halted in his words, noticing her sudden stillness. "Which of those orbs does that belong to?" Malik asked, frowning. Isis had explained to him before that she had made orbs for each of those in their company as a way in which to watch their progress, to make certain they were safe without needing anything much more complicating. Each orb consisted of a different glass and a different material that would coincide with each person's personality. As he peered at the orb, he had an uneasy feeling that he knew.

"It's Anzu's," Isis said softly and approached the orb. "It's been dim lately, but this crack...I don't like it." She set down the bowl of herbs she had been crushing. "We need to find her." In an instant, she had disappeared. Malik flicked a last look to the orb, hearing another crack sound on it and then he followed. Anzu was nowhere near her room, as he had sensed her some time ago near the gardens. It was easier, what with his closeness to the princess, to sense her when she was near. As he appeared in different parts of the vast garden, he felt her closer, but he always seemed not quite near enough. Swearing, he began to dash through the gardens and their mazes, cocking his ear to listen. As he ran, he felt a swell of terror enter him. Beginning to panic, realizing that something was not at all right, he sent a small burst of power beneath him and landed upon a bush unsteadily. Ahead of him, he could see the royal suite and there he could sense not only Anzu, but something far more terrifying. He immediately vanished and appeared next to the suite.

_At the royal suite, _he said to Isis, hoping she would hear him. _I can't see her yet, but I know she's here._

Almost instantly, his sister appeared and she was not alone. Seto was with her, appearing pale and if Malik was not mistaken, guilty. "I let her go into the gardens by herself," he said. "I should have stopped her."

"We don't have time to blame anybody," Malik said dismissively and hurried forward. The trio dashed around the suite and only near the entrance did they find any sign of the princess. The door was ajar and inside they could see a faint shape moving forward. Once again, Malik felt his stomach churn with unease. He hurried forward, feeling Isis and Seto form a protective barrier around them and once they entered the suite, he stumbled back, gagging. "This smell...!" He swallowed the bile that threatened to rise and pushed forward into the rotten stench. Nothing in the suite appeared filthy, appearing as pristine as the castle did. As they entered the large living area, however, Malik froze, horrified, in seeing a dark shape with its hold around Anzu's waist.

"_Malik!_" Isis hissed from behind him, pushing on his back. However, he remained in place. The dark shape turned, peering at him. Unlike the form that it had when facing Yami in the field, this shape was more defined. There were sharp angles on its dark body, its arms long and while thin, they now seemed to be covered with some type of armor. Its head was also covered with an armor, with not even its eyes revealed. It tilted its head at Malik, as though asking a question and then a low chuckle erupted from its throat, startling Malik out of his reverie.

"_Did you mean to save her, this maid of the sorcerer's?_" it asked, pulling Anzu close to him. Her eyes were staring out at them blankly, but it did not even appear as though she were truly awake. Only then was Malik aware that there was a pool of blood on the floor, but it was not Anzu, for she was unharmed, but it came from the demon, dripping slowly, as if subsiding. "_Your sorcerer submitted to me, offering her as a delicious gift. Her life force is nearly drained. Even now she feeds me, healing my wound. You cannot save her._"

_I can't attack, _Malik thought bitterly. _With Anzu that close to him, he could throw her in front of him or I could accidentally hit her. There's nothing I can do._

The demon chuckled yet again and abruptly released Anzu. Her eyes drifted close and she fell to the ground. "_The other princess is better protected, but this one...she is already mine. Whatever she means to you, she must not mean much, but for me, she has strengthened my power. And she will die._" Malik acted quickly as soon as Anzu was from his grasp, but the demon merely disappeared as its body faded to smoke. The wall behind the demon burst into flames from Malik's attack and only seemed to grow as his anger increased. Isis raised a hand and the flames faded to nothing but a burn mark upon the wall.

"Is she alive?" Isis asked Seto, who had rushed forward, bending over the princess. The sorcerer did not reply and Malik, who was standing with his back to them felt his temper rise. "Seto?"

"Barely," he said at last, "but I don't know that there's anything we can do for her."

"Take her to the castle," Isis said, glancing at her brother, noticing that the room was suddenly growing warm. "And please be discreet. I want no one to know of this. Put her in your chambers, if you must, but we mustn't let anyone know of this yet. Not until we know what we can do for her." Seto nodded and gathered Anzu in his arms. He vanished and Isis left the suite, stepping outside. Almost immediately, the suite exploded into flames. She flinched as glass spat from the fire. Inside, she could hear Malik's infuriated scream.

X

Bakura was roused from his work by a sudden splitting pain in his head. Uneasy, he withdrew from his lab, but as he did, Isis spoke to him, telling him to come to Seto's room. His unease increased and he hurried along the halls, out of his wing and following the directions that Isis had provided for him. He waited until some of the servants and had passed and then slipped into the room. The chambers were large and spacious, but he noticed that Seto was laboring rather hard with his magic over something in the bed. Isis, standing by the window, turning and ushered him forward. He hesitated and then moved forward, peering into the bed. Anzu was stripped down to her shift, but there were several dark marks upon her bodies. They appeared as though they were bruises, but the patterns were undeniable. As he looked closer, he noticed also that her skin was unnaturally white and her body still. "She isn't...dead?" he asked, looking to Isis.

"Not yet," she said and then pulled him from the bed when Seto cast them annoyed looks. "He drained her of everything, Bakura. You saw those marks and I saw your face. What do they mean? We thought they were bruising from his touch, but they look far too purposeful."

"He has possession of her," he said slowly. "Somehow she left herself unprotected, able for him to enter enough to put just a small bit of control in her. How did this happen?"

"She went into the gardens by herself and for some reason was at the royal suite. You know that Mai had lain there at her most weakest before I came to seek you. The entire place was foul, reeking of the demon when we entered. It had already taken a hold of her, though."

"Does anyone else know of this?"

"No," Isis answered and then hesitated, turning her gaze back to the window. "Well...there is one other person." Her eyes turned to his again, this time with reluctance.

"Malik? Malik saw her like this?" Bakura pointed to the bed. "Where is he?"

"I left him at the suite. He...he set it on fire. Where he is now, I couldn't tell you. Our bond isn't that strong and he is purposely blocking me out from sensing him, something he hasn't done since when he first fled Hoshäi. I usually can sense him, but right now, I cannot. You don't want to face him in this mood, Bakura. He feels that he is to blame for not acting against the demon when he had a chance, but I think he also puts a lot of the blame on you for your harsh words to her."

"I said nothing to her," Bakura snapped, "only to Yami. She wasn't even supposed to hear that. What would you have me do, Isis?"

"Are those really the last words you would want her to have heard?" she returned, her calm evaporating for a moment. "She's dying, Bakura. There's nothing we can do to help her and the last thing that you said about her was that she was only a bit of entertainment and still you defend that?"

"I regret nothing," he spat back and as he turned to move to the door, his eyes strayed to Anzu. For a brief moment, Isis could see grief and guilt cross his face.

"Don't leave her," she said to him. "Stay awhile. She needs your strength."

He turned back to her and released a deep breath, shoving a hand through his hair, appearing older and weaker. "I would give her my strength if I could," he said at last, "but it wouldn't do any good." He dropped his hand and turned his gaze from the bed. "Let her die and be at peace." He left Isis appearing dumbstruck and quickly exited the room.

"Fool," Seto muttered in the silence of the room. Isis looked to him, but he offered no explanation, so Isis settled on the other side of the bed and the two of them labored over the princess in the hope of drawing out the poison that seemed to be slowly killing her inside.

Bakura, however, stormed through the castle to return to his lab. The demon was becoming stronger and while he felt rather confident that he was ready, he was not sure that he wished to face him quite yet when it was clear that many of the others felt he was to blame for their misfortune. He, too, felt guilty. He ought to have kept a closer eye on Anzu, knowing her reckless behavior while she was upset all too well. He should have made certain that Seto, at least, remained with her as company or better yet, Malik. However, he had sensed Malik's rage at him and hadn't wanted to encourage it. Yet he should have sought Anzu out last night, to reassure her, to keep everything in order. Selfishly, he had ignored her and focused only on his own pained ego and emotions.

As he reached his wing of the castle, he found himself suddenly thrown to the floor. Cursing, he rose to his feet and whipped around to find Malik coolly appraising him. "So... 'let her die,' hmm?" Malik said mildly.

"Did Isis run to tell you again?" Bakura asked, glaring at him.

"No, I actually listened outside the door." Bakura gave him a disgusted look, but said nothing, noting Malik's temper. The male in question was doing an excellent job of remaining calm, but it was clear that he was far from it by the fire in his eyes. "You act as if you could care less what happens to her. I wonder if you really do."

"Don't bother trying to guilt me into doing anything, because it's not going to work," he sneered.

"Clearly." Abruptly, Bakura found himself slammed into the wall with Malik dangerously close, holding a strong hand against his shoulder. "You'd better get back to that room and help them with me or I'll rip your fucking throat out, Bakura. You don't go around playing with some girl's emotions and then just let her die because _you_ were too absorbed in your own pity party."

"Kill me, then," Bakura said with a laugh. "I'll gladly let you."

"No, that'd be a waste of power." He dragged Bakura from the wall and threw him towards where he had come. "We're going, whether you like it or not." Bakura eyed him and then chuckled, shaking his head before erupting into laughter. Malik's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You're kidding me, right?" Bakura demanded after his laughter had subsided. "What, are you stupid enough to let your heart get warmed by her, as well? What type of Hoshäi sorcerer are you?"

"You forget that I haven't been in Hoshäi for some time. Simply because my attitude has changed does not mean that my power is any less, which you seem to forget very often. I'm serious. I think very highly of that girl, Bakura, and if you dare to refuse your gifts to help them heal her, then we may as well die killing each other and forget what troubles this world has."

"My gifts," Bakura grunted, snorting. "What do I get out of this?"

"You get to see the girl you love alive," Malik said bluntly, "Isn't that enough?" The words startled Bakura out of his dark thoughts and he scowled at Malik. The two seemed to be shaken out of their mood and brooded for a moment. "You didn't see her like I did, with that thing holding her, draining of her of what little life she had left...She was completely defenseless. She had no weapon, she had no chance of even attempting to defend herself. She didn't even look like she had been able to put up a fight. Afterward, she could have been sleeping with how still and serene she looked. You didn't have to see that. You didn't even know anything was going on outside your lab. It's our fault that she ended up that way. Don't you think that we at least owe her to try and save her?"

Bakura stirred and rather than replying, he simply turned from him and continued towards the wing of the castle he had just come from. Malik followed him, feeling relieved and weary from his anger. He had expected more of a fight from him and was willing to fight him if need be. He was thankful, however, that Bakura had the sense and heart to know better. As they walked through the empty halls, he peered at the sorcerer's face. It was drawn tight and he knew that he was thinking of her. For his part, Malik had been haunted by the thought that everything could have been avoided if he had tamed his anger and remained with Anzu that morning, as he ought to have. He felt far from blameless and he knew that Bakura was of the same mind.

When they entered Seto's room, Isis simply said, "Take a seat and hurry."

X

_Anzu sat up and looked around, noticing the darkness of where she was at. She blinked and after a moment, she was able to see more clearly. It was only that she realized she was in the Forest of Dim again. She stood up and looked down to see that she was in the same dress that she had been wearing that morning. Her mind was muddled and she couldn't recall much of what had happened before she had fallen asleep. Yet, that did not explain how she had come to the forest again. After some time of pondering her muddled thoughts, she rose to her feet and looked around, trying to discern which way she ought to move._

_A small debate began in her mind and she then moved east, moving slowly. The forest felt empty, as if there were no other creatures that dwelled within. She closed her eyes and held her hands out, letting the bushes and plants brush against her palms, guiding her. Her feet slid upon the ground, guided by the uneven terrain and brush of foliage upon her ankles. After traveling like this for a while, she opened her eyes as her hands met empty air. She stared at the cottage that was sitting alone in the clearing and she dropped her hands and moved forward more quickly, feeling more urgent. _

_As she came to the door, she glanced behind her, but it was still silent. She pushed the door open and then closed it behind her. The cottage was warm inside and as she moved, she noticed that there was a warm fire crackling in the hearth in the den. She entered and settled herself on the divan, wondering vacantly where everyone was at. Noticing a blanket upon the divan, she pulled it around her and sighed, feeling suddenly at peace. A cool breeze drifted from the kitchen and she leaned back, noticing that the kitchen door was wide open. She frowned, puzzled, and lowered her blanket, intending to close the door when a whisper sounded somewhere behind her, warning her. "Hello?" she called softly, turning to where the whisper seemed to come from. The whisper grew a little louder and as she listened, she suddenly could hear her name being called and the breeze from the kitchen felt less prevalent, the warmth of the room enveloping her. She hesitated, feeling something stir in her mind as she thought of the name she wished to call. She continued to hesitate as the whisper grew quieter and the cold seemed to be returning, snapping at the fire. _

"_...Bakura?" she called quietly, looking in the corridor that led to his den._

"_I'm here." She started in surprise and whipped around to see that he was standing in a corner of the den. The fire in the hearth stuttered, crackling. She stared at him for a long time, feeling sad, although she was unsure why. He gave his one-sided smile and then held out a hand. "Come here, Anzu." She hesitated again. He chuckled at her uncertainty and quietly asked, "Do you not trust me? Have I ever given you a reason to mistrust me?" Anzu raised her eyes to his and after a moment, she rose to her feet and went to him, taking his head. The fire ceased to crackle as the breeze subsided. _

"_Where is everyone else?" she queried. He looked down at her wryly and she noticed a hint of regret in his eyes, but he turned his face from her to the fire as it warmed them, briefly ignoring her question. "Bakura?" _

"_They're waiting for you. Don't you remember, princess? We were at Kraion." She frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She looked around her at the cottage, her eyes touching each familiar wall and object. "You have to come back to us." He gently turned her face back to him, tipping it back so that she met his eyes. "We need you back with us." His thumb stroked her cheek gently, smoothing the soft skin. _

"_But...I want to stay here. This is my home."_

_He glanced around the room, just as she had a moment ago and the breeze wafted in again, pressing against her ankles and her dress. She shivered and in response, Bakura pulled her against him. She closed her eyes, feeling warm in his arms. "You'll always be welcome to come back, but this isn't real. This place...it doesn't exist anymore, Anzu. Even if it is in the forest, it cannot look like this. There's no power to defend it any longer, much less my own. Listen to me." She reluctantly raised her eyes to his face again. "Come back with me to Kraion." _

"_I...can't. There's something..." She halted, frowning as she thought. "There's something there...that I can't..." She released a sigh, shaking her head. "Why can't I remember?"_

"_For the reason I just said. This place isn't real. There's much that you can't remember right now...but I promise that if you come with me, you will be able to." Anzu looked to him and saw that behind his calm façade there was desperation and still that hint of regret. She reached up and touched his face, causing him to blink in surprise. She traced her fingers up the side of his face and to his hairline, stroking the soft hair there. After a moment, she smiled._

"_I trust you," she told him softly. "Wherever you will go, I'll go, too." There was a sudden slam that caused her to jump and lean into him. He laughed softly and only then did Anzu realize that the breeze was gone. The den was full of warmth and there was no cold any longer. Bit by bit, her memory was returning. She remembered the barrier breaking down, Bakura becoming injured, them fleeing to Kraion..._

"_Whatever happens from here on, remember one thing," he said, pulling away from her. Anzu realized that everything was fading, becoming shades of gray and seeming to fall apart before her eyes. "I do care for you...even if I speak and act as if I don't." _

_After he said his words, she remembered Yami, her fiancé, waiting for her, caring for her, and looking after her. A sudden pain erupted in her chest and she clutched onto Bakura's hand as she doubled over, clenching her eyes closed._

"_But...," his voice murmured above her, "I cannot have you. You are his...remember that." _

_Still holding onto his hand, everything disappeared before Anzu's vision and her eyes closed as she drifted off into what seemed like a deep sleep._

X

"I'm amazed," Isis spoke up. It had been hours since Bakura had expelled the demon from the princess and he had slumped, exhausted, into a seat by the window and had stared out it broodingly ever since, drinking the potions that Seto procured for him. Isis had tended to Anzu, cleaning the sweat from her that had developed from the fevered fight she had dealt with in her subconscious. Bakura had edged his own way into her mind, where the demon dwelt, and had woken Anzu from the stupor that the demon had placed her in. He could not fight the battle alone and it was through him that Anzu was able to regain possession of herself, but not without a good deal of strength being spent on her part. "You didn't even need our help to expel the demon, did you?"

"You're mistaken," Bakura said in a hoarse voice, stirring from his thoughts. "Someone needed to stabilize Anzu's body. It was dying from the inside from the demon. At least now she will be safe, but Malik should remain with her at all times." The sorcerer in question merely glanced at him as if to say, _Like you convince me otherwise?_ "The prince will have to deal with it and contain his jealousy."

"How did you know what to do?" Isis inquired.

"This demon is not new to me, although he may not recall me, I think he recognizes my powers..." He gave a bitter smile. "He once tried possessing me, as well. I once looked the same as Mai: weak, drained of my power...But I had too much knowledge and just enough power left to take him from my body and return him to where he had come from. I've never tampered with that realm since then. Djinns and demons...they are all dangerous creatures, the very experience was the reason I had warned Mai against tampering with such things. You never know what you will get when you bargain with them."

"The Dark Arts are full of dangerous creatures," Isis said in a grave tone and then glanced at Anzu, saying, "I am only thankful that Anzu was spared...she would not have come if it had been anyone else, you know."

"It gives me little comfort to be taunted with a treat I cannot have," Bakura grunted, drinking from the potion that Seto handed to him. "What difference do her own feelings mean to me when it amounts to nothing in the end?"

"Can you not simply be satisfied with knowing that she loves you?"

Bakura chuckled and rose to his feet, taking a last drink of the potion before saying, "That's like asking me to simply be satisfied with staring at food, Isis, and that's asking too much of any man." He raised his hands and glanced at them before wiping them on his trousers. "I would suggest you move her to her own bedchambers here shortly. The prince will become worried if he can't find her. As for myself, I have something I need to check on outside the city."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Seto warned, "or else you'll end up passing out."

"I'm not stupid," he snapped irritably and then moved to the bed. His palm filled with a warm orange glow and then it spilled out of his hand, drifting over Anzu's body and then disappearing. "It's a strong protective barrier and will keep her safe from any attempt by the demon wishing to leave a piece of him inside of her again. I'd appreciate if you two watch over her anyway in case she wakes up. She'll need some regenerative potions, as well, and some company, I imagine. But Malik, come help me for a moment."

"Fine, but not for long. I don't like leaving her for long."

"What a faithful guard dog you are," Bakura remarked sarcastically.

"Watch it, or else I'll have to throw out some accurate descriptions of yourself." Bakura snorted. After the two safely saw Anzu transported to her own bedchambers by Isis and Seto, they left the castle to the city gates. The guards cast wary glances to them, but did not say anything to the sorcerers. "A rapist walks by and they greet him happily, but if _we_ walk by, they think we have the plague," Malik grumbled, casting a dark look to the two guards over his shoulder.

"Kraion has always been that way towards sorcerers, at least in Yami's time." Bakura paused and his eyes searched the fields. "He's been busy. There's thousands of those creatures out there."

"We'd better get to work, then."

_TBC_

X

DIS: My goal is to have this story finished by the end of the summer. It's looking more likely every day, what with things speeding up in this, I'm feeling quite excited to write it. It's rare that I ever have a day when I don't work on this :) As always, thanks to those that reviewed and please leave one on your way out, letting me know what you liked, disliked, etc. Ciao!


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

_**A/N: Thanks for everyone who reviewed last chapter (and throughout the story), here's chapter twenty-one!**_

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Twenty-One_

Isis heard a knock on the door and knew that it was Yami. She leaned out the window, holding it a moment as she gazed west. The sunlight spilled out, touching her dark hair and spilling over her dark skin. The warmth of the sun reminded her of Hoshäi and the expanse of sands that lied within the kingdom. She closed her eyes briefly, feeling the sun hit her eyelids and then looked out to the golden fields outside the city that shimmered with the sunlight. She saw a slow glow beginning in the field and then there was a flash of white light. Distantly, she could hear a screech and there was another glow and another flash. She smiled faintly and then shut the window before looking to Yami and Seto. The door was closed and she could sense the tension between the two.

She put a hand up to halt Seto and then stood next to Yami by Anzu's bedside. She was sleeping peacefully, though at times she would murmur in her sleep. She stood next to him, folding her hands before her and peering at him beneath her lashes. His brow was furrowed with worry and Isis felt a pang of pity for him. She could tell that he truly did love her. She lowered her eyes, pursing her lips. Her people were taught very little in the emotions of humans and in many ways Isis was inept at being able to deal with other's emotions, yet she knew enough to observe one's feelings for another. "Is she well?" Yami asked at last.

"Only stressed, my prince," she replied with a bow of her head, feeling some guilt for lying. He nodded slowly.

"Isis...," he began and then paused and glanced at Seto. The sorcerer glared back at him and then left the room, collecting a few bottles and herbs. He watched Seto for a moment and then continued, "I understand in Hoshäi things are much different than here, but I hope you do not think me forward when I ask for advice from you." When Isis simply looked to him, her expression calm and polite, he turned his eyes back to Anzu. "When Anzu and I were very young, we became betrothed and since that day we have known that we would spend our lives together for our kingdoms. With our wedding growing nearer, I feel her drawing away from me and I have felt it even more so when she returned from the forest. I am relieved, of course, for having her back safely, but I'm not so sure that marriage is what she wishes with me."

Cautiously, Isis spoke, "What do you wish?"

"I want her to be happy, but I'm not sure that I, or Kraion, will be the right path for her. I love her, as dearly as I would any good friend, for she is my closest friend and I have always protected her from the wrongs of the world in whatever way I may. I know that she is skilled in the sword and can protect herself, but these evils...the Dark Arts and the evil ways of humans...those are things that I cannot protect her from. I mean no offense when I say that, either."

"I do not intend to take any," she replied levelly. "Prince...you say that she is your closest friend. Do you then not view her as a wife?"

Yami gave her a puzzled look. "Aren't wives supposed to be your friends above all?"

"What I mean to ask is...do you view her romantically at all?"

He frowned and considered it for a long moment. "I love her," he said at last, "what else matters? We grew up together, so it is...hard...to see us in that position. Neither of us have made any such moves before and I certainly would not dare to before our marriage, but that does not mean it isn't there. I only wish for Anzu to be happy, yet she seems unhappy here. It was once that she was always happy here, but now she seems to be perpetually depressed." He shook his head. "I can only imagine the type of lies those men put in her head." He shot a look to the door, as if hoping that Seto could hear.

"Lies?" she repeated in surprise.

"Sorcerers are so well skilled at their use of language. I am sure that they had said something to sway her thoughts, to corrupt her and use her in an unbecoming way." He shook his head again, as if to rid himself of the thoughts. "No doubt she will wish to convert the entire city to her way of thought, allowing the sorcerers inside the city, and all because of their ideas they placed in her head. Anzu is too kind-hearted and often allows herself to be taken advantage of, but in this I cannot allow and while I appreciate your own ministrations on her, Malik's constant hovering bothers me. I am sure that there is something beyond mere concern..." He frowned. "And Bakura's own behavior has been strange, too."

"I assure you, prince, that their concern for her is true and not at all false."

Yami gave her a pitying look, saying, "Bakura is beyond even your art, my lady." He turned from her, smoothing Anzu's hair back. He did not see her stunned expression. After placing a small kiss upon her forehead, he pulled away. "In any case, I'd best go see Jounouchi. We have some things to discuss before night comes." He bowed respectfully and then exited the bedchambers. Isis settled next to the bed and reached over and held Anzu's limp hand.

"What an idiot," Seto grunted, entering the bedchamber, his hands full of herbs and a few vials of liquid. "He sounds as superstitious as his father."

"No, Seto," Isis said quietly, looking down at Anzu, "he's simply trying to find an explanation. I cannot blame him. Who best to blame than Bakura, rather than his bride?"

"Himself, for starters," Seto said in a petulant tone. "If he wasn't for his kingdom's constant nagging about the arts, then Kraion wouldn't be full of superstitious fools. They breed them here, like maggots on trash. It's his family's own fault. Yami has been accommodating as far as the arts are concerned, but he has nothing but dislike for Bakura and I and if it weren't for this situation, he never would have allowed us back into the city."

"Yami is afraid that he's losing Anzu," she responded, "and he's unsure as to why he's losing her, except that it corresponds with your reappearance, so naturally he is going to have ill feelings towards you. I don't think he fears losing her as a wife, though. In fact, I think Yami is as uncomfortable with the thought of marriage as the princess is; however, I do think that he fears losing her as his friend. She is all that he has known his entire life, remaining faithful and near each other. It's no surprise that he is becoming a bit defensive."

"Regardless of what it is, he's being an idiot." Isis smiled at this conclusion in spite of herself.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Bakura and Malik drifted back into the castle. Isis and Seto were told to go to their beds and Malik determinedly set up camp outside Anzu's bedchamber. Bakura said very little to any of them and he closed the door behind him as he stepped inside the bedchamber. Even though his sister sent him a questioning look, Malik ignored her and stared ahead resolutely, simply telling her to go to bed. Inside the bedchamber, Bakura was oblivious to them.

He settled next to Anzu's bed and peered down at her face. She was sleeping soundly and colour had returned to her skin that had been pale and seemingly dead the last time he had seen her. Her head was tipped to the side, her lips parted, and one of her hands was thrown on the pillow with the other resting on her stomach. Bakura's eyes skimmed over her face once more and then he frowned and looked away, rubbing his forehead wearily. While sleeping, Anzu looked younger and it was hard for him to not recall how young she was compared to him. She had barely been alive on this earth for not even thirty years, yet he had been alive for far much longer than that. She knew nothing, but at times, he wondered if she did not suspect.

He raised his head again and looked down at her. He reached out and smoothed her hair from her warm face. A corner of his mouth tilted upward as her lips curled in a tiny smile. He withdrew his touch and folded his arms, readjusting himself in the hard chair. He was exhausted, yet he knew that he would be unable to sleep. The fear of the demon trespassing in Anzu's mind again haunted him. Mai was well-protected by spells and enchantments and her faithful djinn would not leave her side. Anzu had not been so lucky and he would not allow any more mistakes.

X

The next morning, Bakura left Anzu's bedchamber early, leaving Malik with her. He was wide awake and merely nodded to Bakura as he passed him. Bakura bathed and changed his clothes and left to meet Yami and Jounouchi. He had yet to drink any type of brew to help his exhaustion and he knew that he would need to soon or else get some sleep. He doubted he would receive the latter; he only hoped that Yami would not have a tantrum because of his lack of sleep today.

"Good morning," Yami greeted, nodding to Bakura, who noticed the purple circles beneath the prince's eyes. Apparently he was not the only one who had lost sleep. Perhaps Yami observed his own expression reflected upon Bakura's face, for he smiled at him and asked, "Would you like some tea?"

"No, but I appreciate the gesture," Bakura replied in subdued tones. He settled at the table across from Jounouchi, who was drinking tea and eating a rather fruity scone and appeared to be the only one who had gotten any sleep. Bakura rubbed his face, sighing, before saying, "I think that it would be best we move here shortly before the demon is able to do any more damage. Malik and I were able to eliminate the majority of his forces last night, but I don't doubt that he's gathering others around him. I'm not a fan of feeling caged in like this, either, so it would be better to act sooner rather than later."

Yami surveyed Bakura for a moment and then sighed, straightening in his seat and rested his elbows on the table. "With all due respect, I'm not sure we're prepared to face him yet." He clasped his hands in front of him as though he were in prayer, his brow furrowing as he continued, "We have so few defenses against him...and not enough people willing to fight against that type of power. My people...they're weak and scared. They've not be exposed to this type of danger in many years." He peered at Bakura, adding, "The last real danger they were exposed to was sorcerers themselves. Not demons."

"Because we are such a huge threat," Bakura quipped sarcastically.

"I'm not arguing here nor there, Bakura, but the fact is that my people don't trust you or your kind. Jounouchi could force our men into battle, but they would be reluctant and if they would have to fight alongside you, their heart would not be in it and they would be far more likely to flee."

"Then that is something that _you_, as their prince, should have dealt with long ago," he snapped irritably, lunging up from his chair and pacing away from the table angrily. Whipping around, he demanded, "Do you think I want to work with you or your disgusting kingdom? No. I would much rather leave you all to rot, but unfortunately, the downfall of your kingdom would effect everything and this poison that the demon is spreading would infect everything. We can't afford to wait to act any longer. Mai and I have already prepared some things that we believe will work against the demon. I suggest you prepare your men for battle."

"My men can't even do anything in this battle," Jounouchi spoke at last. "Whatever is out there, we don't know how to handle."

"I think," Yami said slowly, "that they would be used as a decoy than anything else. Am I right, Bakura?"

"It's to help your people," Bakura told him coldly. "People die in war to help other people stay alive."

"What am I supposed to say to them?" Jounouchi demanded angrily. "Their morale is already low, how am I supposed to get it high enough that they'll actually fight?"

"Isn't that why _you're_ a captain?" Bakura snarled impatiently. "Both of you act as though you were just appointed to your positions. It's not my responsibility to take care of everything here. In fact, I have no responsibility at all. I'm only doing this because I have no choice."

"You had a choice," Yami said, his own temper rising at Bakura's mood. "And it started with Anzu. You could have returned her back to the castle like a real man would have, but instead – "

"Let me remind you," Bakura interrupted sharply, "that your sister was trying to get the princess killed at that point without sullying her own hands and if Anzu was returned, safe and sound, she most certainly would be dead right now."

There was a tense silence in which the two men of Kraion bored holes through Bakura, furious with him. Bakura, for his part, was beyond angry. He could almost feel the power of the demon creeping up on them and Yami would rather sit here and argue about his scruples, as if they were in a church! Slowly his breathing and trying to calm himself, he looked from them, his gaze sweeping the room thoughtfully. There was very little in the room to offer him any type of distraction. At last, he returned his gaze to the two men. Jounouchi had turned his eyes to the table, staring moodily at it with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Yami, however, was still looking at Bakura intently.

"We don't have time for this," Bakura said at last. "Either you act with me or I'll be forced to fight this alone." He turned from them at that and left the room, shutting the door a bit harder than he had perhaps intended. His mouth lifted into a small smirk as he heard a swear erupt from the room he had exited. _If they want to act ignorant, then so be it, but I'm not going to sit here and get my ass kicked just because they're used to losing._

As he swept through the castle, he encountered Mai, who was looking irritable. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "I've gotten everything organized and arranged and I've been waiting for you to give me the next step and you've been running around the castle."

"I see someone's back to normal," he said with a raise of his eyebrows. Mai scowled at him. She was, in fact, back to good health and looked her usual beautiful self. He heard grumbling and the two turned their attention to see Jounouchi storming up the corridor towards them. Bakura saw his eyes flicker towards Mai in surprise and he gave a curt bow towards her before storming on, glowering at Bakura as he did. Mai watched him walk away, frowning, and then turned back towards Bakura. "I wasn't aware that you were interested in the captain."

"What gives you that impression?"

"Even I can tell when two people are interested in each other."

"He's Yami's best friend," she replied shortly, "and changes his mind from being kind and being rude, so thank you, but I'm not interested in someone who doesn't even know his own personality." Bakura chuckled at this. "Stop trying to change the subject, Bakura. I'm getting irritated just standing here. Did you go and tell my brother that we need to act now? I can feel the demon getting closer. He's closing in on the city – and the castle. The longer we wait here, the more likely we are to be vulnerable to attack."

"I can't do anything about your brother," Bakura said, waving a hand and walking down the corridor. She turned, following him, a frown on her lips. "He won't listen to reason. He's too obsessed with jealousy right now. Not that I'm particularly surprised, but that doesn't mean he needs to act like an idiot and your captain is no better, brash and with an easy temper."

"He's not _my_ captain," Mai snapped, "so don't call him that. Regardless of what my brother wants to do, we have to do something."

"I intend to, but not without making sure everyone else is prepared." He stopped at a door and knocked on it. A moment later, Seto opened the door and he stared at Bakura, deadpan. He was disheveled from sleep and looked as though he had aged ten years since Bakura had last saw him. "Do me a favor and find out where Isis, Otogi, and his mother are at and collect them in Mai's bedchambers."

"Why hers?"

"There's more privacy there and it's larger."

Seto gave a curt nod and then shut the door in his face.

"As for us," Bakura said, unbothered by Seto's behavior, "I think we'd best collect our instruments and take them to your chambers."

"I'm not comfortable being in there, Bakura," Mai told him bluntly, "nor do I think that it's a good idea drawing them up there. The demon was borne into this world in there and it would only be inviting danger if we set up there." Bakura considered this a moment and then nodded slowly and returned to Seto's door, tapping on it. The sorcerer opened it again, this time looked irritated.

"What now?"

"Change of plans, meet me at my temporary chambers."

"Fine."

"I'm glad he's cheerful," Mai remarked after he had slammed the door in their face again. 'It's always nice to see someone with a positive attitude."

X

Malik had been resolutely sitting in Anzu's bedchamber without much interaction with anyone else in the castle and when Shizuka tried to enter, he immediately cowed her into submission and ordered her away. Frightened and unwilling to argue with a sorcerer, she nearly ran from Anzu's chambers and since then, Malik had been peacefully alone with the slumbering princess. Only towards the end of the morning did she stir at all and when she did, she blinked open her bleary eyes and stirred from sleep slowly. She rose to a sitting position, rubbing her forehead with a fist and then turned to look blankly at Malik. He stared back at her, clearly unbothered by her confused stare. Only after a long moment did she finally ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure nothing unfortunate happens to our favorite princess, what else?" he returned with a smile. She returned it, though with a hint of trepidation. It was clear that she could not recall anything that had happened recently and by the way her eyes hesitantly skimmed the room, as though trying to determine if anyone else was present, she was still trying to collect her memory.

"I don't remember getting ready for bed," she admitted and then yawned. "I thought I was in the gardens." She considered this for a moment, her brow furrowing. "I remember I was walking in the gardens, crying, and then I started to walk back to the castle." Malik was silent. He had a feeling that Bakura would not be pleased if he revived her memory of what had happened. Although Malik felt this was somewhat deceptive, he knew that allowing Anzu to know that Bakura had actually done something self-sacrificing for her would tear his pride apart and likely result in another fight between the two men. Thus, Malik watched Anzu try to recall any other details and considered over a few lies that he might tell her to obstruct her memory. After a moment, however, she simply said, "I must have fallen asleep as soon as I got back." This seemed to satisfy her and Malik was not about to tell her anything to the contrary, so he merely smiled when she looked to him and nodded again.

"Why don't we get you in the bath?" he suggested at last. "Bakura's getting us together to discuss our next plan of action, so it's best we get done sooner rather than later." She smiled and nodded, though he caught the look of uncertainty in her eyes and knew that she was still troubled by her memory.

By the time they had arrived in Bakura's chambers, everyone except for the host was present. In addition, the prince of Kraion and his faithful captain were also absent. Malik took note of this and glanced at Seto curiously, but he made a subtle gesture with his hand, indicating that now was not the time to discuss it. Malik ushered Anzu over to her brother, who was staring holes through Malik and after depositing her there, he returned to Seto, muttering, "Well?"

"Apparently Yami doesn't want to cooperate with us anymore. Oh, and he's being an obnoxious ass to anyone who is even near Anzu and has more or less decided to wreak vengeance against us and Bakura, so I would be careful around him."

"What is he going to do?" Malik scoffed. "Ride his horse into me? I've yet to see him show any sort of weaponry skills and he can barely ride his horse, much less if his life is on the line. He'd rather just sit there and try and talk to his enemy with an arrow shoved in his face."

"Yes," he agreed with a smirk, likely imagining such a situation, "but that doesn't change the fact that we're in dangerous territory right now. We're relying on his good will to keep us within the castle and near Anzu and Mai. If we leave either of those alone, they'll be torn to shreds and we'll have to kill all of Yami's guards to get back in here and I really doubt that holding the royal family hostage would encourage affectionate feelings towards us. We don't need a riot on our hands."

"Who fucking cares?" Malik lashed back in his usual candid manner. "Kill all of them, then, it's not like anyone will miss them." Seto sent him a dry look.

"I think Anzu would."

"It wouldn't be on her mind for too long," he said, turning his eyes to the princess, who smiled at Mai as she approached her, sitting beside her with her djinn floating distantly nearby. "After all, if she's with Bakura, why would she care?"

"Emotions are a lot more complex than that, believe it or not."

"You say that as if I'm a heartless bastard." Seto merely raised his eyebrows, causing Malik to give him a dirty look. "Dick."

As Seto was about to no doubt give his own snarky reply to that, the door opened and Bakura swept through the chambers and with a flick of his hand, closed and locked the door. Isis stood up and raised her hands briefly. A thin layer lifted out of her hands and then spread and seeped into the walls. Bakura approached the table and laid the basket he had in his hands upon it and then paused, his eyes skimming the room. As soon as he saw Anzu nestled between the other two women, he dropped his gaze to the basket and began to draw things out. Everyone shifted, silent, peering at the odd instruments he set upon the table. Some appeared more obviously magical than others; those that did not simply looked like scientific instruments.

"So," he said, removing the basket from the table after looking into it a last time, "I suppose I should start by saying that Yami has decided to withdraw all support from us and we'll be the only ones to handle the demon and his minions from here on out. He isn't willing to sacrifice his people for anything or anyone, not when sorcerers are involved, so we're going to have to be careful how we go about things."

"What do you mean, he's withdrawn his support?" Otogi spoke up, enflamed by this information. "Isis came from her country in order to help look for Anzu and helped in escaping from the forest, even Yami's own sister was effected by this, and he won't even lift a finger to save his own country?!"

"He seems to be under the impression," Bakura said in a dry, amused tone, "that had I simply returned your sister to Kraion, none of this would have happened. As you know, everything has to be my fault."

"What a fool," Sofia murmured, shaking her head.

"Foolish or not, he has his reasons and knowing how stubborn he is when it comes to what _he_ thinks is right, I'm not about to get involved with fighting with him. Granted, he's an idiot, but at the moment, what we need to do is develop a strategy between us. We're all we have to work with." He laid his hands on the table, considering the group and then said, "These instruments Mai and I worked on created using several of the Dark Arts. Many of them, such as these orbs – " He indicated the small, dull, ordinary marble orbs. " – will be placed within the city at certain points so as to protect the city from invasion. They have powerful charms inside them that will keep the city safe. We can't afford to have any of the sorcerers within the city during this, so this will be our way of eliminating that particular problem." He continued to indicate some of the other charms that would be used to protect those that went into battle.

"Now...these are going to be the most important." He withdrew two strange instruments, one that had a base and a long stem that stretched upward with a ball upon the top and three thin wires hung down from it. The other was a diamond-shaped tool with a lever upon it. "This first one will be placed at the highest point in the city, which will be the clock tower at the cathedral in the castle. There, someone will have to operate this at the same time that this second one is operated. This one will be used by me and it will destroy the demon at his most weakest point. If I fall, then someone else will have to use it. When he is as his weakest, we'll need to be close to him and turn the lever clockwise. This isn't made out of any Dark Arts. It's not possible to kill him through his own arts. Instead, this is made out of an ancient magic that no longer is practiced or even exists." He paused, his brow furrowing as he lost himself in some thought.

"So, who's going to operate the one in the cathedral?" Malik spoke up, although he knew the answer.

"The princess will remain in the castle, as Yami will likely have a close eye on her during this time," Bakura said, stirring from his thoughts, although he did not look at Anzu. "I will show her how to use it in a moment. While the orbs in the city are also used to protect the city, they are also not made of any Dark Arts, and many of these instruments aren't. The item that Anzu will use will draw from the power of those orbs, drain them, and further empower this crystal. This way, we won't be draining the power of any of ourselves."

"Will it work?" Isis asked.

"Yes," Bakura answered mildly, "but killing the demon isn't the hard part. It's wearing him down. Mai, start handing these out to people. Also, Seto and I will be placing the orbs since we know the city the best." Once Mai had collected the things and there was a murmur of conversation, Bakura stood up with Anzu's item in his hand, along with something wrapped in a silk coverlet and ushered the princess towards the bedchamber. She hesitated and then followed him. He closed the door quietly behind her.

"I don't know that I can do this," she said softly as he unwrapped the other item.

"Whereas I know you can," he returned. The harsh words he had spoken about her lingered in her mind, causing her to stay several feet from him. He glanced behind him at her to see that her arms were crossed and there was a stiff look upon her face. He sighed and straightened, turning to her. "You're still bothered by what I said, aren't you?"

"_Bothered_ is an understatement," she said, flashing a dark look towards him.

"If you think that this is going to effect how you create during this situation," he pointed outside to indicate what he was speaking of, "then say so now and I'll have someone else do this."

Stung, she opened her mouth to indignantly reply and then closed it, glowering hatefully at him. He stared back at her, appearing equally furious. She paused in her temper as she took note of his. Had Bakura really felt that she only "a bit of entertainment," he would not be getting quite so angry at her. Or would he? She frowned as her thoughts took a different turn.

"I don't have time for your wounded feelings, princess," he said shortly. "Either you can do this or you can't. I'm sure your maid is competent enough to do this, as well."

"I can do it," she snapped at him and shoved him away from the bed, startling him. She unwrapped the last bit of the silk coverlet and then paused, staring down. Her eyes blinked at her, bright and blue. She picked up the mirror and stared at it, confused. It was the size of a book and heavy, with gold plating around the edges, intricate designs woven inside of the frame. "What is this?" she asked at last, staring at herself. Bakura, thoroughly irritated at this point, glared at her.

"What does it look like?" he sneered.

"I _know_ what it is, but what does it do?" she returned angrily.

"It lets you see other places without having to be there," he said. "You're going to have to watch the battle through this mirror and it will have to be trained on me, as I'll have the crystal. When you see me activate it, you'll activate your item." He picked up the second item and she turned her attention to it. "All you need to do is take this top of this and spin it clockwise. These wires will fan out and small balls of light will build at the ends. After you spin it, you don't want to be too close to it." She nodded slowly and then looked back at the mirror.

"And how do I activate this?"

"All you do is tell it what you want to see. Try it."

She considered for a moment and then said, "I'd like to see the cottage in the forest...um, please." The mirror glimmered for a brief moment and then showed the cottage, sitting in the center of the forest. It was not at all what it had been when they had lived there. Rather than the lovely, spacious home it had been, it was now a single-room cottage that was rotting and had holes in the roof. There were no doors attached and it appeared that the animals had taken to making it their own home. "It's a lot different," she admitted and set it down on the bed and began to wrap it again.

"There's no magic there to defend it," he told her simply, "so it's not able to retain the form I gave it."

There was a thick silence as Anzu continued to wrap the coverlet around the mirror and Bakura stood, watching her and saying nothing. It felt awkward, as neither of them had been unable to speak openly before, yet Anzu was still hurt from his words and with her memory impaired, she did not know anything that he had done to help her in the past days. After a moment, she asked, "Where will you go after all of this?"

"Malik will likely be returning to Hoshäi with his sister," Bakura said, "but neither Seto nor I am welcome here. We'll either set up a new location in the forest or we'll go our separate ways." He eyed Anzu's still form, considering her for a moment before he asked in a teasing voice, "Going to miss us?"

"Not at all," she said loftily after a moment and then turned to smile at him. "Things will be back to normal again. I'll get married and everything will be...normal." Her smile wavered a bit and then she cleared her throat, saying, "Well, we should get back so that we can leave. Yami will get suspicious."

"I have one last thing for you," he told her abruptly and dug in the pockets of his robes, frowning and swearing before he pulling out a chain. "This necklace will do the same as what I gave everyone else." She gave him a puzzled look. "Just in case," he said simply. She stared at it for a long moment. It was simple looking, with just a string of pearls, yet she thought it was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. She drew her hair up and offered her neck to him so that he could put it on her. She felt his fingers brushed her skin as he clasped the necklace. She let her hair fall and closed her eyes to stop her tears.

"Thank you," she said at last.

"You're welcome," he replied. "I'll keep these until tomorrow. Be prepared in the morning. We need to try and get him before night falls, since he is the strongest then." He collected the two items and then opened the door. Her eyes flickered to him briefly and then she exited the bedchamber where everyone was talking. Malik was near the door and smiled as soon as he saw her. She immediately went to him and held his hand. He looked to Bakura, frowning in disapproval, as though he knew what had transpired inside the room, but the other sorcerer purposely avoided his gaze.

"Are you okay?" he asked her lowly.

"Yes," she said even as he pulled her into a hug. Inside, she was screaming, _No, I'm not! _but felt that now was not the time to tell him why.

_TBC_

X

DIS: Grr, I was supposed to have this finished by now! But that's okay, because I have only one or two chapters left anyway :) I nabbed the idea of the mirror from another fairytale because I don't believe I used it in _Beauty_ when I wrote it. In any case, please leave a review with some feedback, good or bad. Ciao!


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Twenty-Two_

Anzu had been brooding ever since the meeting in Bakura's chambers, yet she never spoke of what was on her mind. Malik had to leave to help Bakura with setting the orbs, but Isis and Seto were here ever-constant companions. Seto was silent, yet diligent, while she, Shizuka, and Isis played cards. Every once in awhile she looked up to see his eyes on her and he would simply stare at her, unbothered at being caught, yet she would always look away first. She was uncertain as to what was going through his mind, although she felt that, if there was anyone that she wanted to talk to about her troubled mind, it was him. While he had been less than helpful when it came to Bakura, she could not speak her worries to Malik because it was an issue that she felt Seto would be able to give her better guidance on than anyone else.

There was a knock on the door and Shizuka hurried to it, opening it. "Oh!" she said in surprise and then curtsied and took a step back, glancing at Anzu uncertainly. Anzu rose as Yami entered, smiling. His eyes flickered to Seto, who was standing near the window, but he said nothing.

"You're doing well?" Yami asked curiously. "Isis said that you were asleep for some time..."

"Oh...yes...," she murmured as she met him. He took her hands and massaged them a moment, his brow furrowing. "Can I talk to alone for a moment?" He looked surprised, but nodded his consent, allowing her to lead him into her bedchambers. She swung the door behind her, but left it slightly ajar. She took his hand and led him to the bed and sat down. He sat beside her, no longer looking confused, but determined.

"Anzu, I know that you are going to address my actions towards the sorcerers, given that you have been so close to them, but I cannot allow you to question me on this." Anzu stared at him, shocked by his abrupt demeanor. "In fact...I wanted to discuss with you your relationships with them. I know that you've spent some time with them, but I cannot allow you to continue to allow them to watch over you as they have. It's as if they're...controlling you, pitting you against me."

"I promise you that I am of sound mind!" Anzu told him angrily, rising to her feet. "To think that you...that I...they...how can you even say such a thing?! They have done nothing but be kind to us and try to help us and all you do is throw it in their face!"

"And do I not have reason?" he returned, rising to his feet as well, although his tone had not changed. "Did you really miss me at all? Or were you glad to be rid of me? Or is this new change in your behavior something else? What am I to think when my fiancée starts drifting from me? They've done something to do and it's not been for the good." It would have been easier for her to combat his anger with her own, but his expression was despondent and hopeless, as if she had died and he were speaking to her ghost. Her temper lost its flame and she felt tears pooling her eyes.

"Of course I missed you," she whispered, "but I...I can't accept what you're doing now. Our people will die if we don't cooperate with them." She sniffled. "My own brother is a sorcerer and you would have me reject him, Yami."

"Not him," he quickly said, "but those three from the forest...Seto killed a young girl, Anzu, and Bakura and Malik...they would not hesitate to kill anyone standing in their way. Do you really think it's coincidence that they're nice to you? How do you know you're not under some sort of spell?"

"They wouldn't have taught me or protected me if all they were going to do was put me under some kind of spell," Anzu told him and turned from him, folding her arms over her chest as she paced the room, frustrated. "You acted as though you were happy for their help and now you're acting paranoid like the world is full of demons and bad sorcerers." She whipped around. "They're good people, Yami. They have good hearts. I...I love them, they've become like family."

"Here we go," he sighed, raising his hands. Anzu stilled, raising her eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"I knew that you would say something like that. I suppose you wanted me to keep them in Kraion, as well? It's not going to happen, Anzu. I'm sorry, but whatever you may think, everyone else knows that they are corrupt and evil people. Even if I let them stay in Kraion, they would never be accepted. Also, please keep your family's sorcery to a minimum, as well, or else I'll be forced by my people to expel you, as well."

"You would throw me from Kraion just because my family has sorcerers in it?" Anzu asked, her voice rising for a dangerous level.

"I am only telling you as it is," he said in a desperate tone, spreading his hands out. "I can't do anything about how they fell. They will never cooperate with that kind and I can't blame them."

"You and I have been best friends since children and you would cut all connections and break our engagement that our parents developed because of my blood? What kind of friend is that? What kind of fiancé would do that?"

"I have to think about my people!"

"Who's the one who doesn't care about who now?" Anzu lashed out and stormed towards the door, throwing it open. The chambers were thick with an awkward silence, making it clear that they had heard everything inside. Shizuka was standing in the middle of the room, appearing stricken while Isis was shuffling the cards.

"Anzu – please, don't do this right now...," Yami said, glancing around the people in the drawing room as he followed her outside. "You know I have no choice but to make the right choice for my people and if it got out that you had sorcerers in your family...I would have to send you back to Siruean. For your _own_ sake and mine."

"Then maybe you should teach your people not to lynch sorcerers just because of what they are!" Anzu snapped back at him.

"I can't teach people who are unwilling to listen." He peered at her, as though hoping for some kind of sweet words, but she was fuming, her fists balled up next to her side. He passed a hand over his face and then dropped it wearily. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have visited you."

As he passed her, she told him, "For as long as this kingdom is prejudiced, I will never be your wife." She turned to meet his startled gaze. "I'll be your friend for as long as we live, but at the end of this, I'm going home to Siruean unless you're willing to try and change the ways of Kraion." He stared at her for a long moment and then seemed to be debating on what to say with himself until at last he merely inclined his head.

"Give me some time to consider things," was all he said before he left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Anzu stood glaring at the door and then jerked her gaze from it, staring at the ground. She had never been so angry with Yami before in her entire life. The only time that had rivaled it was when they had gotten in an argument as young teenagers about one of the princesses that had visited from one of the neighboring islands. He had been infatuated with her and Anzu had teased him relentlessly until he, in one of his brief mean moments, had ranted about how jealous she was that she had no suitor of her own to flirt with and she was mad because he was supposed to her fiancé. It seemed stupid now, but at the time it had risen to as heated of a moment as now.

"So," Seto spoke up casually, "should we go whip up a concoction to keep the princess under our control, Isis?"

"Oh, don't!" Shizuka gasped, casting a terrified look to him. "It's not something to joke about!"

"No, it's not," Anzu said grimly, "not when you live in Kraion at least."

After that, the cards were abandoned and Anzu dismissed Shizuka to see if her brother needed any help. It was clear that Shizuka knew why she was being dismissed, but simply gave Anzu a silent hug before departing. Anzu slumped against the divan after Shizuka had left and put her face in her hand. She had never felt more exhausted and lonesome in her entire life.

"Ever since I was a kid," she said in the quiet of the room, "Yami and I had been like brother and sister. Otogi and I would always see each other when I was in Siruean or when our entire family visited Kraion, but I was always the closest to Yami. We were betrothed, so we were supposed to remain together during certain classes, be tutored together, and essentially live in the same castle for long periods of times. We were given that time to get to know each other and we did and we started doing everything together. We would tell each other everything. Even before I arrived in the forest, Yami and I were close like that, telling each other almost every worry, every concern. Now it feels like all we're doing is lying to each other. It's not like I don't know that he's hiding secrets. Even Shizuka has to lie to me now..."

"You blame them for it, don't you?" Isis spoke up after a moment. Anzu hesitated. The elder female rose from the divan and moved to stand in front of her, bending down and taking her shoulders. "Anzu...I would never give this option to anyone because it is unnatural, but there are spells in the Dark Arts that allow you to forget things – "

"Isis!" Seto interrupted sharply in a warning tone. She ignored him.

" – and if that was something you desired, I would perform it on you. It's not a complex spell. I could do it. You would forget us. And everything would return to normal."

Anzu met Isis's gaze which was steady and strong, just as the woman herself was. She had been fighting with the depressed feelings as she realized she would, after the demon was destroyed, have to say goodbye to Malik, Seto, Isis, and Bakura. She thought of all that she had learned, everything that had transpired, and knew that she would not be able to simply linger in Kraion as a princess to Yami while knowing what she did. To continue to endure the prejudice that the people of Kraion had towards sorcerers while knowing that her own family held them and to know that her brother's own powers had increased since being trained by Isis...she could not live that way. Yet Isis's offer was seductive, even alluring to the point of undeniable temptation. She would be happy again, she would agree with Yami again and they would continue with their wedding and they would continue with their life as it ought to have been before it had been tipped upside down and rattled like a box of marbles.

_I could simply be me again, _Anzu thought, _with no thoughts but of my family and my friends and Yami. Bakura would be nowhere in those thoughts except what little I knew of him...that he had broken from the wards and escaped Kraion into the Forest of Dim._

"We would of course need to wait until directly before we leave," Isis said to her, removing her hands and straightening. It was clear that she had seen the answer in Anzu's eyes. "I would need to alter a few other memories, too, but nothing too large, nothing damaging."

"Yes," Anzu said slowly at last, "of course, that would make sense."

Isis smiled slightly and patted her hand before settling back upon the divan. Seto sent her a scathing glance, but said nothing.

X

The next day, everything was beginning to come into motion. The demon seemed to have sensed their own movements and was no longer afraid to reveal itself in daylight. Malik and the others had hastened out to the field, but Bakura lingered to give Anzu her items. "Make sure that you do it at the exact time that you see me activate mine," he told her. "Any other time and it won't work. Alright?"

"It's not that hard," Anzu said with a bit of temper, "you don't have to repeat yourself."

"Then if it's so easy," he sneered, "you had best not mess up." She scowled at him in answer. He turned to leave and then paused briefly. He hesitated and looked back, but she was already walking back inside the castle with her basket with the items inside. He watched her for a long moment and then shook his head, hurrying to the horse that was waiting for him. Yami had at least allowed them that much. He caught up with the others as they thundered through the city, Seto snuck his way in beside him. "What?" Bakura asked, seeing the drawn look on his face.

"There's something you should know because I think it's something you'll need to stop after this is over with."

"Something _else?_" Bakura groaned in exasperation. "Fine, what is it?"

"Isis gave Anzu an offer to – "

"They're here!" Otogi called, drowning out Seto's last words as the gates were drawn open for their exit. Bakura's eyes darted from the gates to Seto, but it appeared that whatever it was Isis had offered Bakura would have to wait to learn because the battle had already begun. He blinked, staring at the sight on the field before him. Jounouchi was waiting for them at the gate and it seemed that Otogi had not only meant the creatures of the demon's were here, but so were the men of Kraion.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bakura asked. "Did Yami send you out here?"

"No," Jounouchi answered, "my men did. They don't want to see their people die. Their heart is in the right place." He hesitated and then held out a hand in apology. "Please help us kill this thing." Bakura eyed it and then grasped it briefly.

"We plan on it."

Several of the Kraion men were already dead and the creatures were gaining on the gates of the city. Jounouchi was content in remaining in the defense of the gate, which Bakura felt was best given that having the captain die would do no good for him. Bakura jolted his horse into the mass of fighting bodies, his eyes searching. The other sorcerers were already in battle. Otogi, while his sorcery skills were still lacking, was excellent as a warrior against the creatures. They screeched with pain as his sword whipped around his sword and separated their limbs from their bodies. Satisfied that the prince would be able to protect himself, Bakura turned his eyes back to the scene and after some time, he found the demon in the very back near the forest, settled on a giant bear that seemed to be foaming at its mouth. Its hood was thrown back to reveal its grotesque head and when Bakura's eyes settled on it, its mouth parted in a shriek.

_The more of his creatures we kill, the less confident he will be, but I don't have time to help them with that. _Bakura's gaze flickered towards the sun. _We only have so much daylight. _He dug his heels into the horse's side and it bound forward. Bakura withdrew his sword and with short blasts he cleared his way to the demon. However, he was not the only one who was headed towards the demon. Just as he drew close enough to the demon, it suddenly released a howl of rage. Bakura raised his arm as a blast of wind passed over him. "Mai!" he called, startled by her arrival. "What are you doing? Get out of here and help the others!"

"This is my monster that I created," she snapped back, parrying her horse as the demon swept an angry hand out and his bear reared, releasing a loud roar. "And I'm not letting you get all the glory!"

"You wouldn't," he muttered irritably under his breath. He did not argue, however, as the demon launched two assaults on them, cackling as blue whips darted out to them. Mai caught one on the staff she was carrying and flung it back towards the demon, who simply waved it away.

It was easier to fight it with two people than with only one. While there were times that it caught them unawares, his attention strangely unable to be diverted, they had the upper hand. They both were feeling confident up until the bear began to act very strangely. The demon laughed and abruptly the bear turned a pearly white, glowing, and seemed to explode, the shocks hitting their horses and nearly hitting them had they not had shields. Bakura launched himself from his horse as it screamed and began to seize. Mai had already rolled off and as the demon cackled its mirth, she thrust her staff upward, catching it in the ribs. The laughter ceased and it crumbled, the white electric ball disappearing into smoke.

The demon rose and snarled, throwing his hand out. Bakura was unsure what exactly had happened, but Mai's thick hair went flying and there was a thick _CRACK_ that was heard even above the battle and her body lay still. Bakura blinked, unsure as to whether she was dead or the demon had simply caused her to pass out in a dead faint. Unable to bother himself with that, Bakura drew himself up and the demon laughed at him. Bakura flicked a look at the sun. It was almost sunset. He could sense the demon wavering, but he did not know how much longer it would take to get him to the point he needed.

"_You thought you were clever, sorcerer, saving that maiden from me,_" it whispered to him and only when it spoke could Bakura detect its breathlessness.

_He's stalling for time, _he realized. He whipped his sword around and the demon dodged, but could not avoid the following attack that had it writhing upon the ground. As Bakura bound for it eagerly, it disappeared and they appeared some ways from him where it stood, panting, yet smiling strangely.

"_She doesn't love you,_" it cooed in a soft voice. "_She'll never be yours_."

"As if I care," Bakura coolly told him and the next moment, they had lunged at each other and their swords clanged against each other, bursting into a bright, unholy light. Bakura gritted his teeth as his sword burned his hand. The demon laughed, cackling in delight at his pain.

"_If you didn't care, then why are you out here? Why didn't you let her die? Why didn't you let any of these people simply die? You and I...we have power. You have more power than any other human._"

"Let me guess, you want to be partners," Bakura said with a small chuckle and as the demon was distracted by his words he opened his other hand and there was a crackle of armor and body as a large burst of power busted through the demon's hip and stomach, leaving a gaping hole. It screamed, yanking itself away from Bakura. Bakura threw his sword away as it shattered. He hissed, tearing off his ruined gloves and staring at his hands, where the flesh was bubbling from the burns.

"_We...are alike..._," the demon gasped and there was a flurry of activity around them and Bakura realized what it was trying to do a moment too late. "_Oh, no, sorcerer...you're not leaving this circle..._" Its eyes glowed with glee. "_You'll be going to the world I came from...the world of the djinn...the demons..._"

"Like hell." Bakura cut through the spell and there was a spike of power that shot against both of them, knocking them flat on their backs. Bakura coughed up blood. It had hit him directly in the chest and even as he stumbled to his feet, he could see smoke curling up from his chest where warm liquid was pouring. _Now,_ he thought as the demon crawled its way to its feet. His eyes glanced back to the sun. The sun was nearly set. _Now I can do it._

"_YOU CANNOT KILL ME!_" it shrilled and then threw itself upon Bakura. Bakura gagged at the stench of the demon and screamed at the feel of its power impaling him, stabbing through his skin. It screamed with laughter and Bakura fumbled for the instrument, but with a sudden, horrified thought, he realized it was no longer with him. He pushed back with his own power, desperate, but he was suffocating, drowning in the demon's.

"Fuck!" he swore, grappling with the demon in spite of his pain.

As they tore at each other with their magic, becoming soiled with blood and smoking from the effect of their power, Mai had stirred and had dragged herself to where the gleaming crystal lied some feet from them. Her shoulder was dislocated and her arm was broken and her head was bleeding profusely, but she managed to get her good hand upon the crystal. She balanced the crystal with her chin and turned the lever carefully. Just before the last turn, she yelled, as if the princess were standing there, "_Now, Anzu!_" and pushed the last bit of the lever to release the crystal.

X

Anzu had gone directly to the top of the cathedral after Bakura had given her the items. Yami had left her alone ever since their argument the day before and so rather than fearing how difficult it would be to get away without his notice, she was able to set up at the top of the cathedral quite easily, although she had to loop the basket around her neck while climbing the ladder to the top, where the bell was situated. She peered out the open windows briefly and then had unwrapped the silk coverlet, gave it her command and after covering herself in the coverlet, she had sat, waiting patiently.

It had been hard to watch Bakura battle. Her heart was constantly leaping up into her throat, although she had never been more proud of Jounouchi's strength than when she had learned he had gone against his friend for once and done what was right. It had given her hope for the people of Kraion and it gave her hope for Bakura's success. As she sat close to the mirror, she clasped her hands anxiously, frightened for Bakura and anxious about the well-being of the others. She continuously told herself that it was fine, Bakura was strong, everything would be okay, yet she feared for his life. When the demon threw itself upon her, she saw the crystal fly from his pocket and gasped. "Bakura! The crystal! Oh, no, please, please see it...don't let the demon see it!" It was as if she watching a particularly gruesome play. Bakura was covered in blood and it took some time before she knew that he was aware of the absence of the crystal. The horror that crossed his face was enough, even without his swearing.

_There's nothing you can do, _her mind told her as she sprang to her feet, as though to run out into the battle and activate the crystal herself. _What good would it do you to go out there when you're needed here?_

"I can't let this happen...I can't – "

Yet suddenly she heard from the mirror, "_Now, Anzu!_" Shocked, Anzu turned her gaze back to the mirror and saw Mai in the background, her fingers beginning to make the last turn to the lever. She scrambled to get her own instrument and muttered, "Clockwise, clockwise," and watched the mirror and just as Mai was about to finish the turn, she spun the ball and then sprang back as the wires flung out horizontally. Just as Bakura had said, light collected at the ends of the wires and while they had spun slowly at first, they began to gleam ever brighter and spin faster. She stumbled back as far away from the object as she could and covered herself with the coverlet, unable to look at it any longer. As she sat covering herself, feeling the coverlet flutter from the power of the spinning, she heard a long, distant howl and shivered, knowing too well what its origins were.

X

The field was still and Bakura, who had been leaning on his elbow as the demon had tried to attack Mai and stop her from turning the lever, released a long-suffering sigh. There was a pile of dark ashes where the demon had been and Mai, who was still near the crystal, stared at the ashes before she flopped onto her back and lay there. Bakura, too, dropped himself onto his back and stared at the darkening sky. He was dizzy and knew that he had lost too much blood. He heard the sound of dragging and looked down to see that Mai had dragged herself up to him.

"You did it," she said, slumping beside him.

"You helped," he added in coarse voice.

"A little," she admitted and when she looked at him, she saw that his eyes were closed. "You'd better not die, Bakura. She's waiting for you."

_TBC_

X

DIS: Short chapter, with only two scenes, so sue me...erm, no, please don't. In any case, please leave me some feedback! Criticism is embraced, as always. Final chapter is following :) Ciao!


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Twenty-Three_

Yami ran through the castle and yelled at the servants, "Open the doors! _Open the doors!_" They hastened to obey him and as soon as they did, Mai and Bakura were carried through by Kraion soldiers. "Follow me," Yami ordered and hurried ahead of them. Seto and Isis were close behind, nearly running and sending out orders to the servants than ran to obey them. Mai and Bakura were laid out in a large chamber that had once been the queen's chamber. Maids hurried in with the items requested by Seto and Isis and they, along with Yami, undressed the two. Yami paused, his face paling at the sight of their mangled bodies.

"If you can't handle the sight, then go get someone who can," Seto told him sharply.

"I won't," the prince said stubbornly. Isis stifled a smile as Seto muttered something uncouth beneath his breath. Seto gave Yami instructions as he performed healing spells on the deep wounds where Bakura was losing blood. Isis was able to handle Mai on her own, as her wounds were far less severe. They both knew that Yami felt guilty for his behavior recently and the only reason he was in that chamber with his shirt rolled up and blood on his clothes was so that he could make amends to Bakura. Regardless of his reasons, however, they were thankful for his haste in answering to the letter Jounouchi had sent ahead of them. A moment later, the door opened and Malik and Otogi trailed in, exhausted, but in good condition.

"Otogi, please help me with Mai," Isis spoke up. He nodded and after shedding some of his bulky garments, he joined her while Malik helped Yami and Seto by passing them the necessary things, as his healing skills were very minimal. Mai was taken to her temporary chamber by her djinn, who had been ordered to stay within the castle by his mistress, while the sorcerers continued to work on Bakura. Yami and Malik were left useless with Isis and Otogi able to lend their skills. Yami's eyes remained on Bakura's face which was still and grey. He doubted that the sorcerers would be so attentive if he were dead, yet he looked as though he were. He was thankful that Jounouchi had disobeyed him, yet he felt like a complete fool for the way in which he had acted towards Bakura. Distantly, he recalled Anzu's words about prejudice and felt the heavy weight of guilt grow heavier upon him.

"Where is Anzu?" Malik asked Yami at last.

"I don't know," he said, stirring from his thoughts. "I haven't seen her." Malik frowned and nodded before rising to his feet and leaving the room. Yami watched him and considered following suit, but looked at Bakura's face again and then looked down at his blood-soaked arms. He continued to sit patiently.

Meanwhile, Malik had relieved himself of the majority of his own armor and weaponry and sprinted through the castle and through the cathedral. He took the stairs two at a time before he pushed through the wooden door that led to the ladder to the clock tower. He climbed up the ladder and poked his head up and then sighed in relief seeing Anzu kneeling over the mirror. She looked up at the sound of him moving, jumping a bit. She relaxed upon seeing him and when she moved, he saw that the mirror was shattered. "It was right next to the instrument," she said fretfully. "I didn't mean to break it." He saw that she had been trying to piece it back together and on one of her fingers, he saw a small cut from one of the glass shards.

"Putting it together isn't going to do any good," he said with a smile. "Don't worry about it. It's not like we can't enchant another mirror." She hesitated and then dropped the piece of glass that she had in her fingers.

"Where's Bakura? Is he okay? He was so bloody and hurt..."

"He'll be okay. They're working on him right now. He's lost a lot of blood, though, so it's going to take a lot of bitter potions that he's not going to want to drink to get him back to normal." She released a relieved sigh. "Come on, let's get you out of the cold." Anzu covered the mirror with the coverlet she had wrapped around her and after Malik ducked down the ladder, she followed suit, following him out of the cathedral. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "I was safe in the castle! I'm just glad that everyone's alive."

"You can thank our brilliant friend for that," Malik said with a chuckle. She smiled, fingering the necklace that was around her neck, but Malik was ahead of her and didn't notice. Malik led her up to the queen's chamber, but held up a hand to tell her to wait. He went inside to see that they had moved Bakura up to the bed and his wounds were all sealed up, but he was still unconscious and while the wounds were sealed, there were still tiny slits where the wounds were at that wouldn't disappeared until he had some potions to revitalize his body. Yami had washed his arms off and was helping Otogi dress Bakura in warm clothes while Seto continued to stand over him, stabilizing his body. Isis had started a brew beside the bed and was working feverishly to finish it.

"Is he okay?" Anzu said, opening the door a bit.

"I don't think – " Malik began, but she had already caught sight of Bakura on the bed and her eyes lingered on the long line that went from his collarbone to just below his ribcage where he had been hit in the chest. She bit her lip and then raised her eyes to Malik. "He's alright, Anzu, it's nothing Isis and Seto can't handle, but I don't think you should see him like this. He wouldn't like it." She nodded mutely. "Come on, it's been a long day for everyone and I don't know about you, but I'd like a hot bath and some soup." He prodded her away from the door and slipped back out and then pulled and dragged her to her room, where he set up the bath and while she left the room to get orders of soup, he stripped down and slipped into the bath, sighing as the hot water relaxed his muscles.

"Why do you always have to get naked in front of me?" Anzu asked in exasperation when she returned. He turned to look at her from the bath tub.

"Most women wouldn't be complaining about that," he informed her pointedly.

"Yes, but most women don't view you as a brother, either."

"That hurts. What if I'm in love with you?" he asked with a pouty look.

"Then I guess I'll just have to break your heart," she told him primly, but smiled at him. He chuckled and shifted in the tub so that his chin was resting on his folded hands. "Can you undo my dress, please?" She turned around far from the tub and walked backwards purposely so she wouldn't see anything. He smirked and then undid the buttons on the back of her dress.

"See? I'm not complaining about you undressing in front of me."

"I'm going in my bedchamber to get undressed." She left briefly and then returned in a robe and night gown. She settled at the table and ate her soup while Malik bathed, scrubbing at his hair and skin with soap. She turned her head as he began to rise out of the bath and only when she was satisfied that he was in a towel did she return her head to its earlier position. Half-naked, he joined her in eating soup silently. "Malik, are you going back to Hoshäi with Isis after this?" There was the slightest pause in his movements, but only noticed because she had been looking at him.

"I hadn't thought about it," he said at last, "but I don't think so. Hoshäi isn't the best place to live, especially after you've been relaxed for so long. No...I'll be going wherever Bakura goes, even if it means staying here." She looked at him curiously and before she could ask, he said, "Bakura and I have watched each other's back for the past years, just as we have watched Seto's and just as he's watched ours. If Seto wants to go his own way after this, then that is his choice, but I'm going to follow Bakura and hopefully it will be in a place where you're at, too." He raised his eyes to hers pointedly.

She blinked and then laughed nervously before finishing her soup and setting the empty bowl aside. "I think I'll go to bed."

"Anzu," he spoke up as she rose to her feet. She hesitated and then looked to him. "I'm serious. You're the only thing in this world that he wants."

"Then why can't he just say that?" she murmured.

"Because he's Bakura. When has he ever been straightforward?"

X

Days passed and although they had moved Bakura into his temporarily chambers, there was no way of getting in, as Yami had set up guards at the door and even when she tried to get in when they were distracted, the door was locked. Neither Isis nor Seto would tell her anything, although Seto sought her out as Kraion began to rearrange itself accordingly and began to return to its normal state. He found Anzu sitting in one of the large drawing rooms in the castle, trying to devise a letter to her father that she was to send with her mother. Instead, she had a large pile of parchment scattered around her and she was staring out the window with a distant, worried expression. "Bakura's fine," he told her mildly, startling her from her thoughts. "Stop worrying about him."

"Oh! Well..." She adjusted in her seat, looking embarrassed and then set her parchment and quill aside. "Nothing good is coming out of trying to write a letter to my father anyway," she said as though in explanation, her lips twisting irritably as she looked at the mess of attempted letters.

"I can see that," he replied dryly. "As it happens, though, I'm not here to talk about letters to your family." He brushed some of the crumpled letters away and sat down on the divan next to her, facing her curious expression. "We need to have a talk." Anzu hesitated and then sighed and nodded. "As soon as Bakura has returned his strength, we've been..._politely_...ordered by the king and his son that we are to remove ourselves from Kraion. Isis is welcome to stay as long as she pleases, having been invited here and while she's been insisting that Malik return with her, he intends to stay here." He paused, an intense look in his eyes for a moment before he continued, "Which leaves the little problem of you. I know what had been troubling you before this was concluded. I'm not oblivious and neither was Isis, but her option isn't the right one."

"It is for me," Anzu told him, frowning. "I know that you think it isn't, but – "

"Is that fair to Bakura?" he interrupted sharply. "Or to Malik, for that matter? And, what about me? I'll be the one telling them what Isis has done to you, by your wishes, and do you really think they'll embrace that freely?"

"Bakura doesn't care about me that way," Anzu said resolutely. She recalled Malik's words, but they sounded hollow in her ears. Her eyebrows knitted together angrily as her eyes darted away from Seto's face and she plucked at her silk dress absent-mindedly. "He doesn't feel the way that I do," she added in a soft voice. "I...I would rather return to my old life, with no recollection of these feelings, then have them for someone who is only playing games. I hate that I would hurt Malik and to put you in that position, but it's what I have to do. For me."

"Selfish," he muttered, rising to his feet swiftly, causing her to raise her head in surprise. "Completely selfish and ignorant." He turned to face her, his arms crossed over his chest, his mouth set in a rigid line. "Your feelings don't simply disappear and it's not as if your life will simply return to normal. And, besides that, this won't fix your problem with Yami. You had doubts about marriage with him before you even encountered us, yet you're trying to put the blame entirely on us. Whether you like it or not, you will either be in an unhappy marriage or there will be no marriage and you'll be alone, loving someone that you won't think exist. Magic doesn't just work like you think it does. It doesn't heal anything." He paced from her across the room and halted in front of the window on the other side of the room. "Envision this for a moment...You'll have returned to Siruean, you and Yami will be friends, corresponding, and yet you'll feel alone, empty, wanting something, but not knowing what it is. Remembering feelings that you're not sure where they came from. This type of magic...it muddles the mind, it destroys your perception of reality, and being in love with someone without knowing it...it can destroy your life." He turned to look at her, adding bitterly, "It's the same as loving someone who no longer exists in this world. You'll never find happiness."

"Bakura doesn't – " she began weakly.

"Doesn't what?" he asked, staring at her, boring holes through her. Anzu said nothing, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"I've made my decision," she said at last. "Just let it be, Seto."

There was a long silence that stretched in the room and while she could feel his gaze on her, she tried her best to ignore it. She returned to her letter and after dipping her quill in her ink and beginning to write on the parchment, she heard his footsteps and then the sound of the door sounding his exit. She paused in her writing, glancing up to make certain of his exit, and then returned to writing, although her hand was unsteady.

Later that night, Anzu slipped from her bedroom and after covering herself securely in a cloak and robe, she went downstairs into the courtyard. It was large, with great pillars surrounding it. The trees and elegantly cut bushes rounded the courtyard and in the distance she heard the fountain that was positioned in the center. Slowly, she walked towards the fountain and stared at it for a long time. Seto's words had not left her. It had been hard to smile at Yami that night and bid him goodnight. It was hard to look at Malik and not cry for fear of never remembering his face. Yet...she knew that it was the right thing to do.

Or at least she had.

As she stood near the fountain, she realized that perhaps she _was_ being selfish. The only reason she had even considered Isis's offer was to console herself. She hated thinking of saying goodbye to any of the sorcerers, yet she did not want to cause anymore strife with Yami than she already had. She wasn't even sure that she would truly not marry him as she had told him, even though it had been a serious threat at the time. She knew that she would not be able to handle that type of continued prejudice as it was, but if her mind was erased of the sorcerers, then maybe it would not bother her so much...

The clouds parted above her and moonlight slipped down into the courtyard, causing long shadows to stretch over the stones and grass. The light spilled over the grey exterior of the castle, causing a faint glow to issue from it. The water in the fountain seemed to shine with the light and she knelt down, brushing her fingertips on the water. _This is impossible,_ she thought and buried her hands in her face, crying silently into her palms. _Why do neither of those options even seem remotely possible?_

"I see I'm not the only one out of bed tonight."

Anzu gasped and jerked to her face, tensed for flight. A sudden warmth entered her cheeks when she saw Bakura standing some feet from her, his face expressionless. He looked thinner than she was accustomed and a bit more pale, but he was standing well enough and did not appear to be in pain. She nearly reached out to touch him, thinking him a ghost, but thought better of it. Suddenly horrified that he might have realized she was crying, she gave a quick laugh and swiped a hand over her face, pretending to brush her hair from her face as she wiped any residue tears from her cheeks.

"I suppose so," she admitted before asking, "Are you doing better now?"

"Well," he grunted, "as well as you can be after having blasts of dark magic assault your organs." Spotting her stricken face, he added, "Not that there was any danger of me dying, anyway."

"Of course...," Anzu said, flashing a small smile and then allowing it to go silent. She turned her gaze back to the fountain broodingly.

Bakura watched her, remaining silent and still. He had been in the courtyard before her, wandering around it aimlessly, restless, and had sensed someone else outside with him. When he had found her staring at the fountain, as though transfixed, he had at first worried that she was sleep-walking up until she had knelt down and began crying. He had been hoping to hold off any contact with Anzu for some time longer, at least until they had to leave, and he was reluctant to start any conversation now. His companions had willingly followed his instructions to keep his health updates to themselves and even Yami had given him more leverage than perhaps he might have, possibly due to his guilty conscience. Unfortunately, his father was not so forgiving and was eager to see their leave.

"Bakura," she broke the silence at last, "I..." She turned to him, her mouth open and then she laughed and said, "Well, I'll miss you guys." Bakura stared at her for a moment, unsure of what she expected for a response to this. "It's strange to think that I won't be able to see you guys anymore, but I guess it's only right that we part ways now that everything's over..." She shifted and then held out a hand to him, smiling. "Thank you."

His stomach nearly choking him, he took her hand and said, "It was nothing," and then released a bit too quickly. Anzu collected her cloak around her and made a "brr" sound.

"Well, I'd best be getting back inside. I just...well, I felt like some fresh air. I couldn't sleep, so..." She gave another awkward smile and then moved the way she came, leaving him standing alone near the fountain. He frowned and then followed her.

"You really piss me off," he called to her, causing her to pause in her steps and turn back with a furrowed brow.

"What?"

"What exactly was that?" he asked, gesturing towards the fountain. "If that's who you are, it's no wonder that Yami is so infatuated with you. Submissive little princess in Kraion, are you?" He made a disgusted sound, glaring at her. "And you want to _shake my hand_ in thanks? I might as well have been some random soldier in your husband's army."

"He's not my husband," she automatically replied, "and for another thing, I was trying to be polite and respectable."

"Really?" Bakura said sardonically. "After all that we've been through, you want to sudden act like a princess? Bullshit."

"It's not – you don't even – why do you have to be so foul?" she finally exploded, storming towards him. "I was just trying to keep it nice and simple so that we wouldn't end up fighting and obviously all you want to do is cause conflict and get involved in conflict. And, you know, maybe I didn't really even want to talk to you tonight. All I was looking for was some alone time to think by myself and deal with my own things and of course you always intrude on the worse times. I would've been fine and happy if you'd just disappeared without me knowing, then I wouldn't have to deal with your nasty attitude!"

"Would you?" he asked curiously after a silence had fallen between them. He noted the hesitation and said, "If that's what you'd like, I can more than accommodate you." He gave her a sneering look and bowed, saying, "Princess," and passed her, leaving her standing, shocked. She whipped around to call him back, but he had already disappeared from her sight. For a moment, she stared where he ought to have been in the path and then she stumbled forward, tripping over her own robe. She tugged at it, frustrated, and ran to the end of the path where it broke.

"Bakura?" she called anxiously and when there was no response, she tried again: "Bakura!" After another moment where there was no response, she collapsed on the ground and stared around her desperately before breaking into tears. "That's not what...I wanted to say to you when I first...saw you...," she whispered to herself, pressing the sleeve of her robe to her face. "I didn't mean to say all those things...Why am I so stubborn and stupid?" She fell forward and cried into her arms.

X

Malik put his hands on his hips and sighed, frowning around the room thoughtfully. He and the others had collected what little they had and were preparing to leave the castle. They had extended their stay for far too long and Yami had come to their room that morning to report that his father's patience was wearing thin, even if they _had_ saved their kingdom. To that Malik had simply said, "He'd rather we were talking animals saving the kingdom then sorcerers." Yami had simply given a slight shake to his head, as though to indicate that talking animals was not a concept to be discussed here. As Malik surveyed the room, Bakura collected his cloak and attached a small knit bag that Bakura had magically extended in order to fit most of his important items from his lab into.

However, it was not the loss of possessions that Malik was concerned about. When it was clear that Anzu and Bakura had no intention of saying anything to each other, Seto had come to him in confidence to tell him of Isis's offer to Anzu, which she seemed to believe would solve her problem. Malik had been trying unsuccessfully to get her alone, but it seemed that she had foreseen the possibility and had made it a point to always have Shizuka and Otogi with her, both of whom were glad to keep her company and glad to be with each other, as Otogi would be departing shortly after the sorcerers. He was still highly suspicious of Bakura and Malik's intentions and did not at all trust Yami to handle them to protect his sister. (Why Otogi thought he could handle them, Malik was unsure of.)

_I don't know that I should tell him,_ Malik thought, turning his head to look at his companion. The shock of Seto's statement had chilled his blood and even though he wouldn't admit it, it had hurt to know that Anzu would rather lose the memory of them than choose the path that her heart wanted. Instead, she was fighting with herself and forcing herself into something that she had no desire for, simply to satisfy her past desires and to protect Yami. He understood and respected her protective nature, but he felt betrayed. He had gotten closer to her than he had any woman, even his sister and he had thought he knew that she would choose Bakura, but clearly he had been wrong. Somehow, though, based on Bakura's own attitude, he had a feeling they had an encounter that no one else knew about. _If that's true, then maybe he already knows. Maybe she told him. _But he knew that couldn't be true. Seto would not have known had he not been in the room. In Kraion, Anzu was far more secretive and less open. In many ways, she was a completely different person.

"What the hell is your problem?" Bakura demanded, interrupting Malik's thoughts. His friend was standing beside him and had clearly just been asking him a question. "What could you be thinking so hard about?"

"Oh, just thinking," Malik said airily and then gestured him to go forward. Bakura sent him a suspicious look, but exited the room. They met Seto at the top of the staircase and descended down towards the doors where there was a small entourage waiting. Anzu, surprisingly, was present, as well as Mai and Isis, although it appeared that Anzu was more reserved than usual. Yami smiled in greeting.

"It's only respectable to give you a proper farewell," he explained, gesturing towards the guards that were situated in two straight lines. Seto snorted. Yami shot him a filthy look, but ignored him for the most part continuing, "Even though my father feels hostile, I bear you no ill will and when I have become king, you are more than welcome to return to Kraion and take a home here. You have my word, on my honour." Bakura roused himself from his dark thoughts, surprised by such an offer. When their eyes met, Yami's eyes turned down to his side, where Anzu was standing, and then returned to him. Bakura's insides froze.

_What the hell was that?_

"However, as long as my father holds that title," he continued, "we must do as he rules and sees fit. But I won't forget what you've all done for Kraion and for our people. And...I hope that they do not forget, either, and I will remind them of the people who saved us if the do." He suddenly took Anzu's hand, clasping it briefly. She stirred and smiled up at him, understanding his meaning plainly. "As for now, however, I will give you another set of horses, even though my sister and Bakura lost us two already..." He gave a dry look.

"We weren't the ones that killed them," Mai said bluntly. Yami chuckled.

"We won't be needing horses," Bakura said with a wave of his hand, as though brushing the offer from in front of his face. "We won't need them where we're going, anyway."

Yami nodded slowly. "Alright. Well, then. The most I can do is bid you a safe journey home." He hesitated and then cleared his throat, saying, "If you wanted to say goodbye to Anzu, then that is...perfectly acceptable..."

"Oh, good, I've got your permission," Malik said cheerfully, immediately bounding forward and taking Anzu in his arms. Yami twitched, looking deeply offended and more than a bit irritated, but he set his mouth in a flat line and pointedly took a few steps from them to allow them some privacy. Malik smirked over at the prince, who ignored him, and then looked down at Anzu with a more serious expression on his face. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

She nodded, giving him a bright smile. "Of course. Don't worry about me." But it was abundantly clear that she was not. He smoothed a hand over her hair worriedly and he wished it could tell her that he would miss her, but it would mean nothing because likely in a few short hours, she would not even remember or care about him. "I...I'm glad that we had time together, Malik. And with everyone." She suddenly stiffened and he noticed her gaze was fixed on a point over his shoulder. He glanced behind him to see Bakura frowning, peering at Anzu with an unreadable expression. It did not last long, though, before Malik blocked his view of him and Anzu blinked, looking up to him.

"It's not too late."

"Thank you, Malik, but it's okay." She smiled at him and then hugged him. "Goodbye." He held her tight and for a moment longer than he ought to have. Yami was watching them, although not with an angry or jealous expression, but a thoughtful one. Malik withdrew and hastily returned to stand next to Seto and Bakura, who seemed that Malik's farewell was perfectly adequate for all three of them.

"Bakura, you twit," Mai muttered beneath her breath, shaking her head as the three sorcerers exited the castle. She shoved past the guards and Yami sent her a confused look as she stormed outside. The three men were already some feet from the castle when she reached them. "Wait one second," she snapped at them, stomping towards them. Seto turned and made a noise that clearly indicated what he thought of her interruption. She shot him a look and then directed her piercing gaze to Bakura. "Just what do you think you're doing? Are you really going to just leave her like that? Without saying anything?"

"What's there to say?" Bakura returned with a nonchalant air. "We've said all there is to say."

"You're not seriously going to walk away from this, are you? You realize that after Isis is finished with her, there's no going back. You can't get her back after this, Bakura." There was a tense pause as Seto and Malik stared at Mai, aghast at her knowledge and Bakura frowned, a suddenly baffled look upon his face. Mai's gaze flickered between the three men and then her anger seemed to vanish as shock replaced it. "You're joking. Neither of you told him?" The men in question remained silent.

"Tell me _what?_" Bakura snapped, turning to Malik accusingly. "What is she talking about? What is Isis supposed to be doing?"

"That isn't fair, Malik, and you know it!" Mai raged at him, pointing a finger at him. "If he had known, he wouldn't have left at all and Isis is supposed to be doing it directly after you three leave. For all we know, it's already been done."

"_What are you talking about?_" Bakura snarled.

"Isis offered to adjust Anzu's memory," Seto spoke up, as Malik seemed unable to say anything in the face of Mai's anger. "She'll be fixing it so that she has no memory of us...or anything to do with us." Bakura blinked at this. "Anzu wanted it done as soon as we left." They had all expected some sort of response. A sudden flurry of action, perhaps a dash back to the castle, or even anger at them, but instead Bakura simply stood there, lost in thought, unable to move or say a word. At last, he gave his head a slight jerk and then sighed, rubbing his head.

"That will be good for her," he said at last. Mai opened her mouth, but he cut in, "Save it. I'm not interested."

"How can you throw this away?" Mai asked him quietly. "You deserve this. She _loves_ you!"

Bakura released a short bark of laughter. "Yes...but Yami also has shown that he deserves her. And she chose him."

_TBC_

X

DIS: Okay, I lied, this isn't the last chapter...But it's coming! Very soon! I swear it! :) But at least I'm turning these out faster. There was a lull there for awhile. In any case, thank you to all of those who reviewed last chapter and to everyone else, please leave some feedback letting me know how it was and as always, criticism is embraced! Ciao!


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Twenty-Four_

A year had passed since the incident with the demon and life seemed to drift back into a lazy routine. The three sorcerers had set up another cottage in a different area, closer to Siruean. Surprisingly, Otogi had crept his way through the forest now that the animals had returned to their usual tempers and had come upon them and had been visiting routinely. He spoke little of his sister as per request by Seto, who knew that any mention of the princess would send both Malik and Bakura into a catatonic state of depression and anger that would take some time lifting them from. Otogi's visits were the most excitement they had out of their lives, as they had returned to their usual experimentation with the Arts and as Bakura had been able to retrieve his more ancient spell books from his lab, he allowed Malik and Seto to use them as they wished to learn different aspects of the Arts.

The year passed slowly.

When the second spring arrived since they had last been in Kraion, Otogi brought news that Naten had stepped down as king and would be retiring into the country in a smaller (and quieter) castle to allow his son free reign of Kraion. With this news, he also brought a message from Yami that simply said, "I keep my word," to which they knew was an invitation back into the kingdom. However, none of the sorcerers were interested in returning to Kraion, all for their own reasons. Although Malik had never been banished from Kraion, he was most unwelcome and Seto did not wish to relive any unpleasant memories within the kingdom. As for Bakura, his reasons for resenting the kingdom had increased tenfold in the past two years. Otogi seemed aware of this and appeared to wish to say something, but one look from Seto kept his lips sealed and he had left just as he had come.

However much that Bakura loathed Kraion, however, his curiosity could not help him from thinking of Anzu. While they had bickered endlessly with each other, the silence of the cottage in the past two years had been unbearable. While the three of them constantly were at war with each other for some reason or another, it settled comfortably into bad mouthing and then into their usual relaxed state. With Anzu, it had always been a mix of emotions between the three, upsetting the natural order and in a most interesting way. Bakura had been able to occupy himself for the first five months, but after that, he could not keep her from entering his dreams, especially on days that Otogi would visit. Most days, Otogi spoke of Shizuka, to whom he was now married (after a long and tiresome argument with his father and a thoroughly long campaign with his people to accept his choice) and who was now happily settled in Siruean as a princess, but there were times when Bakura caught him about to say something about Anzu and then abruptly change track. Every night when Otogi visited, Bakura found himself haunted by dreams of her and for days after that he would remain awake, fearful of being chased by her in his dreams.

It became incessant by the second year. She was always on his mind, lingering in the back of his mind. He had even added an extra room to the cottage, even though it was unnecessary and when Malik had asked why, Bakura had simply replied, "In case Otogi wants to get away from his wife. I don't want to have to make him one then, I might as well keep it there." Malik had given him a puzzled look, but left the conversation as it was. When he knew everyone else was occupied, Bakura would slip into the room that was designed exactly as Anzu's had been at the cottage and sit on the bed, his mind clouded and full of memories that he wanted nothing more than to forget.

At times like that, he envied Anzu for her impaired memory.

That spring, the thought of the princess became so nagging that he was sure he would go mad by the end of the season. _I'll just take one peek at her_, he decided one day while he was outside feeding a deer that had snuck up on him while he was picking herbs. _I just want one look...one glimpse of her._ He knew it was foolish and if he was caught by her, she would be screaming, having no memory of him except for what she had been taught. But the idea attached itself to him and would not leave. It became an obsession and by the next day, he had resolved to simply get it done and over with. _I just need one look and I can sleep without thinking of her, _he assured himself.

He left the cottage as though to collect herbs and some ways into the forest, he glanced behind him and then disappeared. His mind focused, he appeared in the royal gardens near the suite. He paused, listening, but could hear nothing. There were no voices from the clearing where the suite was located, nor anywhere within the gardens. He slipped through the maze expertly and emerged from it, slipping away from the gardens and peering up at the windows. Finding the balcony he wanted, he disappeared and then reappeared again and peered inside curiously. It was empty, but furnished as he remember. Cautiously, he opened the doors and slid inside, looking around. It was quiet and the only sound he could hear were servants outside the chambers, far down the corridor it seemed.

Just as Bakura moved to go to the bedchamber, the door opened and he froze. Yami closed the door behind him, saying, "I saw you in the gardens from the window. I thought I would come meet you." He raised his eyebrows. "But you know, you could have just come through the gates rather than sneak around like a criminal. I already told you that you would be allowed within Kraion when I became king."

"Hard to break a habit," Bakura said, feeling highly uncomfortable being caught in what they both knew was Anzu's room. Or once was. Now that he thought of it, if Yami was king, they would be married by now and..._Damn. Of course she would be sleeping in the same room as him_. Yami smiled and then sighed, moving towards the balcony and looking outside, leaning against the balustrade. Bakura eyed him warily, wondering at his behavior.

"I'm surprised at how long it took you to come back here," Yami said at last, turning to look at Bakura. After a pause, Bakura joined him on the balcony and surveyed the latter male. Yami looked more like a king and less like a prince, having added some years to his face. He was still calm and as unbothered as always, but there was a maturity that lied behind his eyes and in the subtle lines in his face that had not been there before. "It's too bad...my people have grown much more tolerant of the Arts lately. Isis has been helping integrate them back into our culture and while they nearly rioted themselves to death, they've certainly adjusted in such a short time. They've become much more accepting of sorcerers."

"I'm amazed. I suppose..." Bakura hesitated, wondering at himself. "..._she_ put you to it?" Yami did not meet Bakura's gaze, but his mouth tilted upward in a stifled smile.

"Yes, actually, Anzu did," he replied. "I'm glad that she did, though. It's helped us flourish as a kingdom. Many are eager to return to their roots in the Arts and those in Siruean have become more comfortable with their own identities in turn."

"Perfect," was all he said in a dry, caustic tone. Bakura couldn't handle this conversation for much longer. He hadn't intended on being caught, let alone held in a conversation of acceptance in Kraion. He could care less how Kraion treated sorcerers right then; he simply needed one brief glimpse of Anzu and then he could return to the forest in a mere second. She would even think that she hadn't saw anything, if he were lucky.

"Bakura," Yami interrupted his thoughts, "I know why you're here and I'm afraid that you'll be disappointed."

"Hmm?"

"You haven't even noticed," he said quietly, "that I'm not wearing a wedding ring, have you?" Startled, Bakura looked down to see that, indeed, Yami was absent of any type of marital jewelry adorning his fingers. Sighing, Yami said, "She's not here. She hasn't been for awhile, actually. She returned to Siruean." Bakura was silent. He was at a lost for words. What could he possibly say to that? "We still write to each other and we left in good spirits. She's always been my best friend and advisor and I will always hold a deep fondness for her, but neither of us wanted to get married. I love her, truly, but perhaps not as I originally thought...and I think she was of the same understanding."

"How did you know?"

"It wasn't hard to notice her concern for you. I tried to tell myself that you had simply bewitched her to get back at me, but..." He sighed again and shrugged. "Well, what could I do? After you left, it felt like things were normal for awhile, but I couldn't go through with the wedding. All I could think about was all the things that was required in a marriage and Anzu and I...while we have been close, it has never been that of a husband and wife and I knew that she could never truly be happy. So, I let her return to Siruean and she visits and writes to me and I'm satisfied with that. I may never get married, but that may be better for me as a king and I don't feel that I have lost much from not having a wife." Yami glanced at him. "Did you want to know where she is?"

"No," Bakura said roughly.

"You came here to see her, didn't you?"

"I'm not interested. It was on a whim, that's all."

Yami smiled. "Well, let me tell you anyway." And while Bakura tried to block out his words, Yami told him anyway. "There is a small copse of trees in the field near the palace in Siruean that she has always spent most of her time in. If you go in the afternoon, she should be there." Bakura remained stubbornly silent. In a softer tone, Yami said, "Don't be ashamed. There's nothing wrong with love."

"I don't need your advice," Bakura snapped moodily before he disappeared with a flick of his cloak. Yami gave a wry look and then shook his head.

"Clearly," he muttered sarcastically to the absent sorcerer.

Bakura had returned to the cottage and for the next few days, he immersed himself in more of his work, but it all felt useless, all of his items came short and his potions would often melt or split the glass from incorrect ingredients. He was unfocused and with not even his work to distract him and only aggravating him further, he began to pace the forest wildly. Malik and Seto avoided him, sensing his mood and wanting nothing to do with it, although Malik got caught in it briefly, but fled as soon as he could. Bakura locked himself in his chambers, grinding his teeth and angrily pacing the small confines. At night, unable to make himself any rejuvenating potion, he relived every piece of Yami's conversation and every night he would wake up, more agitated than ever. At last, when he truly was on the brink of madness, he broke down and left the cottage, lurking in the thickly wooded parts of the forest until the afternoon and only then did he allow himself to arrive in Siruean. He had not spent as much of his time within this kingdom as he had in Kraion and the capital city, where the palace was located, was much larger than Kraion's.

The palace itself was pure white and the lands around it were more beautiful than military like in Kraion. It was well taken care of and while Kraion had been falling apart by the end of Naten's reign, Siruean was flourishing. As Bakura brushed a hand on the inner wall of the city, he could sense the thrum of magic riding in the stones. He couldn't help but smirk. The sorcerers here had their powers used appropriately, if subtly, so that Kraion had no idea of the source of Siruean's splendor. Siruean's capital city was situated at the coast of the island, the palace overlooking a large field and a steep cliff. Bakura averted his gaze from the high, glistening towers of the palace of Siruean and instead snuck his way across the grounds of the castle far more stealthily than he had in Kraion.

The trees that Yami had been speaking of were easy to find, situated in the far right corner of the field and Bakura, with a murmur of a spell, was able to blend into the wall as he crossed the field and dropped the shield as soon as he was within the trees. The grass was long and thick in the field and as he crouched amongst the trees, peering out into the field, he wondered if that was another aspect of Siruean sorcerers. As he crept through the trees, he was suddenly aware of a sound just a few steps from him. As he slipped behind a tree, peering around it, his heart thudded rapidly when he saw that Anzu was sitting on a particular large root that was jutting out of the ground. She had a book propped against her thigh and her other leg was dangling freely. Bakura found himself staring at her, transfixed, for a few minutes as she sat and read.

He had thought a mere look would satisfy his need, but as he stared, longing filled his chest and for the first time since that day, he regretted turning away from Anzu in the courtyard, knowing that her words were said simply out of pain. He regretted letting her go rather than taking her as Mai had said. He regretted not telling her the simplest of things, simply so that she would know, all because of his pride. As he sat watching her behind the tree, he flood of regret filled him and he wished he could go back and do things differently. However, even as he felt that way, he bitterly thought, _What could I have to offer her? I can't make myself happy and I never made her happy. What do I have to offer?_ _But then, _he wondered, _what was it that Yami hadn't had to offer?_

Bakura stood up from his crouched position and leaned against the tree, pushing a hand through his hair, grasping his hair loosely. He should have known that seeing her would do him no good. His mind had tricked him. Now, rather than being angry, he would simply regret those moments in his mind where he could have made things different. He gave a grim smile and then dropped his hand and then dipped his head back, staring up into the leaves of the tree. Sunlight peeked through the cracks, dancing against the greenery and leaving shadowy imprints upon the ground. He took one last look at Anzu's serene figure and then vanished back to the cottage.

He continued to watch Anzu from afar, sometimes almost every day, but other times he restrained himself. When it became cool out, she remained inside and thus a long winter began where he tortured himself with the wish to see her. Sometimes he would curse at himself, infuriated at the control she had over him without even knowing it. Other times, he wished that she was aware of it and was taking advantage of it because at least then he could see her face. Unfortunately, his behavior was far too marked to be ignored. While he had grown more and more reserved, it made him appear ever more suspicious to the other two males in the cottage. Malik, in particular, was well aware that Bakura was not sneaking off to the forest just for herbs, but disappearing entirely. Where, he was not certain.

As Malik sat in front of the fire, listening to the howling of the winter winds snap against the windowpanes, he brooded for a long time upon the subject. He felt that he knew that Bakura was sneaking off to look at the princess, but that Bakura would take such a risk or act in such a manner was odd in itself. He took a drink of the hot spiced cider and then sighed, setting it aside in disgust. He could not even enjoy the drink. He pushed a hand through his hair, burying his fingers in the thick strands, leaning his elbow against his raised knee. No matter how much he consoled himself of Anzu's happiness, there was not a day that went by that he didn't miss her. It was nice, he realized, to feel wanted. His sister was simply desperate for forgiveness rather than real want of his company – he knew that she was far too involved in the culture of Hoshäi to truly want him back. She had missed him, surely, but with Anzu, she sought him out for company and for advice. She was the only friend that had accepted every part of him and had opened herself up to him willingly. Bakura held his secrets too well to talk that openly with him.

He looked up as Seto entered the den with his own cup of spiced cider. Seto settled in another chair, pulling his robe around him and scowling at the window. Malik had buried himself in a blanket and had pulled the divan closer to the fire. With a wave of his hand, Seto's chair inched forward towards the fire. "You looked cold, darling," Malik teased.

"Don't call me that ever again," Seto said, his eyebrows dropping down in a displeased expression. Malik snickered. They fell silent as the storm raged outside. Snow blasted against the window, obscuring their vision of the winter landscape outside. "Bakura's disappeared again. He's not in his chambers. He's been leaving them unprotected lately. I went inside and there wasn't even any sign that he had been doing any work lately."

"Where could he possibly have gone in this weather?" Malik asked, frowning. "I know he can take care of himself, but really..."

"He can do what he wants," Seto grunted, grasping his cup and warming his palms with it. "He wouldn't listen to us anyway. He's acting like a maniac." They heard the kitchen slap open and as Malik rose to see if the wind had opened it, it closed and Bakura trudged in, shaking his cloak off. Malik yelped as cold snow flecked his head and shoulder and he pulled the blanket up as a shield.

"Afraid of a little snow, are we?" was Bakura's dry comment. Without waiting for a reply, he hung his soaked cloak on a stand near the fire where their other cloaks were hanging. He left the room, but returned shortly afterward with dry clothes. He sighed and collapsed next to Malik, who had returned to his earlier position, the blanket wrapped around him. The three men were silent, staring at the fire, although Malik glanced at his companion every once in awhile to see if there was any trace of emotion to give him an idea as to where he had been; however, Bakura's face was blank and swept of all emotion.

"Where were you at?" Seto asked candidly, unafraid of Bakura's temper.

"Wasting time," Bakura answered and for once, it did not sound like a lie. Seto gazed across at him, catching the weariness that crossed Bakura's eyes. He dropped his cobalt eyes down to his mug and took a drink of the cider, allowing the thoughtful silence to extend. "There's no point in it anyway...nobody else in their right mind would go out in this."

"Yes, we were just discussing how you're not in your right mind," Malik remarked. Bakura smirked, clearly embracing such a notion.

They fell silent then, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Outside, the winter landscape seemed to spread out more evenly and the winds calmed ever so slightly. By the time they had retired to bed, the winds had died down completely and before Malik laid down to sleep, he was able to see a long expanse of white lying outside before him and the trees were covered in the substance, drooping with the weight. The moon was obscured by the grey clouds, but it was somehow still light out. Curiously, Malik wondered what Bakura could have been doing to simply "waste time."

After the winter dragged out, spring arrived later than usual and while Bakura had been seen rarely last spring, he remained within viewpoint of his companions and even if he disappeared into the forest, it was but for a moment and then he would return a moment later with a collection of plants and stone items. He was usually found in the small laboratory they had constructed aside from the cottage, similar to the shed they had first used for storage and potion making. This one was larger, with more space, and often times, both Seto and Bakura would be working in it without too much invasion of space and with very little conversation. As for Malik, he entertained himself by wandering around the Forest of Dim. Once or twice he came too close to Siruean military camps, but he would always continue on to find strange caverns or unknown rivers that flowed through the woods.

By the end of spring and when the heat began to get intense, Malik found himself spending most of his time at one such river. Bakura had taken to spending much of his time working on potions (many that seemed to turn into something other than what he was expecting) and while Seto watched Bakura with mirth, snickering every time Bakura let loose an expletive, Malik remained alone, uninterested for once in anything to do with magic. In fact, his own magic was used only for daily usage and he found himself less inclined to use it every day.

One day, as Malik was lounging under a tree eating from a basket of berries that he had picked, he heard the sound of horse hooves and he hastily darted behind a bush, dragging his basket with him. He had been under the impression he was the only one who knew of the rivers within the forest, but clearly he had been mistaken. As the horse came into view, he relaxed at seeing that it was Otogi and he popped out of the bushes, startling both man and beast. With a calming touch to the horse's flank, it halted its thrashing movements and stilled. "What are you doing here?" Malik asked as Otogi dismounted and led his horse to a tree in which to tie him.

"I could ask you the same thing," Otogi responded briskly, clearly irritated about being caught unawares. Malik cast him a clueless look and returned to eating his berries, plopping at the spot he had been a moment ago. Otogi wiped his forehead of the sweat that was dripping from beneath his hair and joined him beneath the shade of the tree.

"I didn't think that anyone knew about this river. It seems pretty isolated."

"It's actually not," Otogi said, unbuttoning his shirt a bit after tearing his riding jacket off. "Siruean lies just north of this river. It's right along our kingdom's borders." Malik frowned, feeling slightly disappointed at this information. He didn't want people coming upon him unexpectedly. He would have to find a new place now, which was too bad as he rather enjoyed this river. The two men fell silent, with Otogi fanning himself while Malik ate the last of his berries. Once the basket was empty, he tossed it into the river and it sank briefly before floating to the top, drifting down languidly with the current. "How are things at the cottage, anyway?" Otogi asked, glancing down from where he had come.

"The same as always. And how are things as a prince?" Malik questioned.

"Well, not much to report there, either," Otogi said and then sighed, pushing a hand through his ebony hair. "Listen...I know that this might be a hard topic to broach and I've steered clear of it for the last three years, but do you mind if I ask you something about my sister?"

Malik was quiet a moment, seeming absorbed in his thoughts for a moment. He could feel Otogi's eyes on him, but did not turn his gaze to his. It had been three years, yet it seemed like time had passed by quickly at the cottage. Without the change in seasons, they would have had no other way on knowing how much time had passed. Even so, Malik had not forgotten or stopped missing the princess. At last, he said, "No, that would be fine. What is it?"

"In the past three years, I haven't seen her much because of my marriage to Shizuka and due to her own marital issues with Yami, but I would have thought that after everything that had happened, she would have contacted me more often. I mean, she doesn't really have anyone else to talk to. However...she's acted like it's never happened and whenever I bring up the subject in a letter, she doesn't even acknowledge that it was put in the letter. Now that magic has become more commonplace in Siruean, I have been able to openly use my own magic, but she's completely stopped brewing anything even though I know that she has the capabilities. It's become frustrating. I'm not sure what to do with her."

"And exactly what do you want? Advice?"

"Of course," Otogi said, appearing surprised. "You knew her better than even I did."

"Perhaps," was Malik's vague answer, "but I don't have any advice for you on this. Maybe she simply made herself forget."

There was a pause in which they saw a flock of birds flutter down towards the river and settle in it and disappear from sight.

"She loved him," Otogi said, turning from the river as the birds floated from their view. "How could she forget that?"

"You're not as unobservant as I thought."

"It's not like I'm stupid," Otogi returned mildly, settling back against the tree, drawing his knees up and draping his wrists over his knees. "I've seen Anzu and Yami interact and it's nothing like how she does with Bakura. Yami treats her well and has always been good to her, but that is how he's always treated her. He's always respected her, but even though Bakura never treated her with respect in the way that Yami does, he treated her with something...different. You could always tell what he felt for her, even though I'm sure he would have denied it."

Malik smiled slightly. "I'm sure if we asked him now, he would deny even missing her."

"Ah, well," Otogi sighed, "he's too proud to admit anything outright when it comes to Anzu."

_TBC_

X

DIS: When I originally wrote the end of this chapter, I had an ending scene for the story, but then I reread it the next day and realized how abrupt it was, so I altered it so that I have more to add. :) Thanks to all my reviewers for the feedback. Please leave some on your way out and remember, criticism is always embraced! Ciao!


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

_The Fairest Lady: Chapter Twenty-Five_

Bakura threw another handful of dust from him, coughing and waving away the airborne particles that were clogging his eyes, nose, and throat. After stumbling to the door and opening it, hurrying outside of the laboratory, he sent a bitter look inside to where a collection of colourful dust was streaming out, polluting the air. As usual, yet another experimentation had done him no good. Irritable, he covered his face and entered the lab and retrieved the ancient book that was sitting on the laboratory table. He frowned, pressing his lips firmly together. Only he was able to understand any of the words written within this book, as it was in the language of his people and it was one that had been lost long ago. However, even he had trouble deciphering some of the words due to the age in the pages. He had attempted several different spells, potions, and to no effect. It was only his determination that led him to continuing the spells and potions and not simply abandoning everything and returning to the past time that had controlled him last season.

He sat on the ground outside the lab as dusts continued to flow outside the small building, although slowly ebbing away. He planted his feet flat on the ground and shoved his hands within his hair, positioning his elbows against his knees as he stared down at the opened book. _There are multiple spells and potions in here to erase your memory, _he thought_, yet somehow I can't even master them, although they are far simpler than any other spell I've attempted. None of my books have failed me up until now._

He lowered a hand and flipped through the pages, his eyebrows slanted down in concentration. Some pages were indecipherable, others more clear. One such page he had already tried and yet nothing had resulted with good results as of yet. One had come out promising, but when he had taken it, it simply gave him a headache. At last irritated, he slammed the book shut moodily and crossed his arms, glaring ahead of him as he pressed his nose and mouth against his arm, covering them. _My ancestors must be laughing at me_, he concluded, _if they think that a headache potion is the answer to wanting to rid oneself of certain memories._

Unbeknownst to him, Seto had exited the cottage when he saw the dust exiting the laboratory and was watching Bakura with a shuttered expression. Bakura swore to himself and kicked at the book angrily. Seto may not have been able to read the language within the book, but he knew enough of potions to know what the ingredients within the potions were needed for and while he was surprised at the sudden fervor that Bakura was showing in memory potions, he felt more pity for the man than anything else. And, given that Seto and Bakura were often in the lab together, he knew that the potions were not working out well, not even for their most skilled sorcerer.

"What do you plan on accomplishing by forgetting Anzu?" Seto spoke up from behind him. Bakura raised his head and turned to him, his eyes narrowing.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't be so proud," Seto said sharply.

"I don't exist for her," Bakura snapped back, rising to his feet. "She doesn't even realize who I am. All I am is what I once was when I first met her...the famous sorcerer, Bakura, who fled from Kraion and had practiced the Dark Arts. I'm not..." He stopped suddenly, as if realizing to whom he was talking. He snorted and then turned his head from him, muttering, "It doesn't matter. She made her choice."

"And so did you," Seto said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You could have easily turned back and stopped her, but you didn't. You let it happen. It wasn't a result of her actions alone, Bakura. For once in your life, endure the consequences of what you did rather than walk away."

"I've endured it for three years!" Bakura spat at him. "I watched her from afar, almost every day, for an entire year. I sought her out, even though I knew I couldn't say a word to her, even though I knew that if I had, she would have fled from me in fear. It was all I could do not to simply use my magic to ensnare her, to return her back to us again. I deserve a reprieve and if it means forgetting her entirely, I would rather do that than continue to live this way." He snatched the book from the ground and stormed back into the lab, shutting the door hard behind him.

Seto stood for a long moment, staring at the lab and then, with a long sigh, he turned and entered the cottage again. He returned to the dinner that he had been preparing and then paused in cutting a carrot. He recalled the time before he had become close to either Bakura or Malik and would slip into Kraion and go to the place that Kisara rested. He remembered the tears he had spilled over her grave, sobbing like a lunatic even though he felt that he did not deserve to shed tears. He shook himself from the memory, yet his hand was unsteady when he tried to return to cutting the vegetable, forcing him to set the knife down and rest his hands against the counter.

"What's wrong with you?" Seto looked up to see Malik had entered the cottage, looking slightly disheveled, likely from the heat.

Seto merely raised a hand, waving it, and stepped aside and sat at the table. Malik eyed him and then moved to the counter, continuing what Seto had abandoned. The two were silent, absorbed in their thoughts. Seto sat staring ahead of him for a long time, his mind returning to Kisara. Her blue eyes stared up at him adoringly, her long locks spilling over her shoulders. The image shocked him so badly that he jolted out of his seat, causing Malik to frown and raise his eyebrows at him.

"Maybe you should go take a rest," Malik cautiously suggested, uncertain of the male's temper.

"It's that damn Bakura," Seto said, glaring out the kitchen window. Outside, the sun was already beginning to sink behind the trees, its warm light spilling over the tops of the forest, casting long shadows upon the ground. Warm, vibrant colours splashed across the sky, forecasting the sunset and the lull of activity from the animals in the forest as they settled in their homes to allow the night animals to take over signaled the coming of evening.

"What about him?" he asked, unbothered. Seto shot a quick, angry look towards him, but just as he was about to respond, they were interrupted by a knock on the front door. "What the hell? That can't possibly be Otogi again..."

"Again?" Seto repeated as the two of them moved through the den towards the door.

"I just saw him today in the forest," Malik explained shortly. "I was closer to Siruean than I had thought. I wonder if Bakura sensed anyone entering the barrier."

"I doubt he cares either way right now."

Malik tilted an eyebrow towards him again, but said nothing as they approached the door. He opened it in a somewhat exasperated manner and then froze. Beside him, he felt Seto still as well. Mai was standing outside with a hand on her finely curved hip, with Jounouchi standing beside her as a possible use of protection, although appearing slightly giddy. However, there was a third addition to their party and that was the shorter and smaller female that had clearly been the one to initiate the knock. Anzu had stepped back, but when their eyes fell on her, she offered a hesitant, sweet smile. Malik opened his mouth, closed it, and then cleared his throat. "Can we help you?" he queried slowly, uncertain as to the nature of these events.

"Where's the big bad wolf himself?" Mai asked, stepping forward and peering past them into the cottage. It was odd to see her alone and without her djinn. Unknown to them, however, was that Mai's djinn was safely ensconced in the castle of Kraion because while she was unwilling to work with that type of realm any longer, she did so love her djinn and he had been nothing but loyal and adoring towards her. While he had wished to come with her, she felt that this trip would be better suited for Jounouchi, who was unaccustomed to this type of company.

"Sulking, I'm sure," Seto answered, although his eyes flickered to Anzu, who was strangely silent during this exchange.

"Where at?"

"The lab in the back."

"Jounouchi," Mai turned towards the captain who gave her a puzzled look. "Will you please take Anzu back to see him?" Anzu cast Mai a reluctant stare, which the latter pointedly ignored. Jounouchi took Anzu's arm and tucked it in his and the two of them rounded the cottage. Mai, meanwhile, shoved her way inside the cottage, wasting no time.

"Wait a minute." Malik snapped out of his stunned reverie and after shutting the door, he followed her into the kitchen where she was sampling their dinner. "What the _fuck_ is going on here? What is she doing here? She's not welcome!"

"Don't be a dick," Mai said, rolling her eyes. "She's the most welcome person in the world here and don't you dare let me hear you say that again." Malik opened his mouth to demand how she had even found the cottage, but then he recalled Otogi's strange appearance at the river, his unusual behavior and the way in which he had glanced towards the path he had been riding on.

_Of course Otogi would be the culprit. _"That's not the point," he snapped. "What is she doing here?"

"Oh, very well," Mai sighed, leaning against the counter and inspecting her hand interestedly. "I guess I should start by saying that Anzu has been in Siruean for the past two years and has been living there ever since she and Yami broke off their betrothal. They still talk, of course, as it had been a mutual decision between the two of them. So, she's been quite near you three for some time. Your cottage lies dangerously close to Siruean soil."

"We're aware of the fact," Seto said as he entered the kitchen, looking none too pleased.

"Good," Mai said, smiling.

"But that doesn't explain – " Malik began impatiently, but Mai interrupted him.

"Ah," she said, cutting in, "yes. There is one thing that I suppose I ought to have started with." She dropped her hand and smiled at their confused expressions. "Anzu ended up rejecting Isis's offer after you left."

They stood, stunned, at this information. Outside, Jounouchi and Anzu had found the laboratory and could be seen standing outside the small building through the kitchen window.

"I don't understand...Otogi told me that Anzu had been acting as if it hadn't happened, that she hadn't been making any potions."

"That's all true," Mai said agreeably. "She hasn't wanted to discuss anything to do with Bakura in the past three years and she certainly wanted nothing more than to avoid doing anything that would remind her of her situation with him. She tried with Yami, convinced that was the right thing to do, but when he decided to actually be a man and discuss it with her, she knew that she would have to return to Siruean. They care for each other as much as they always have, but without the additional stress of an upcoming marriage, their friendship is much better. Since then, Anzu has been in Siruean and has been struggling with her own thoughts. She knew, from overhearing conversations Otogi had with Shizuka, that your cottage was near and she even ventured out in the forest once or twice to try and find it and I think she might have come close at one point, but she was afraid of your reactions and she was especially afraid of confronting Bakura."

"We would have given anything to see her again," Seto said candidly. Malik nodded his agreement, his brow creased in concern.

"Yes," she slowly said, "but she and Bakura left a very...bitter...situation between them that she didn't tell anyone but me until recently. Bakura never clarified his feelings for her and neither did she. It's not easy to simply return to that after such a long amount of time." Mai frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. She glanced out the window, where Jounouchi was walking towards the kitchen door. Malik saw her mouth soften the slightest bit and raised his eyebrows inquiringly at Seto, who seemed intent in ignoring him. "Bakura's words were still in her mind when Isis had given her that offer...and when they left, I imagine that Anzu's words were still in Bakura's mind and it helped fuel his desire to do the right thing for once. Or what would usually have been the right thing."

"Her words?" Malik repeated. "What did she tell him?"

"I guess they bumped into each other in the courtyard only a bit before all of you left and told him she had wanted him to leave without saying anything because he was, more or less, foul and evil anyway."

"That's..."

"Foul and evil," Mai said smiling. "Yes, I think Anzu realized that it was much like calling the kettle black and she regrets leaving him with those words. But there's not much more to say about that than what I have. What happens now is up to them." Jounouchi entered the kitchen cautiously as Mai ended the discussion, his eyes darting around anxiously. Perhaps he had been expecting cobwebs and dead animals in jars because he looked slightly confused as he slipped in and shut the door. "Do you mind if we retire to the den? I'm exhausted and I could use some cider, if you don't mind."

"How do you know we get cider now?" Malik asked suspiciously.

"Who do you think sends it to you?" Jounouchi spoke up, scowling. Mai merely snickered.

X

Anzu watched as Jounouchi entered the cottage and only after the door had shut did she turn back to the laboratory. She felt her palms grow damp and wiped them on her dress, feeling as though her heart was trying to explode from her chest, thundering against her rib cage. She put a hand on her chest, hoping to calm herself somewhat, but it merely caused her to stand, clutching at the collar of her dress rather than encourage her. She had been mad to allow Mai to talk her into this. When the princess of Kraion had come to Siruean, Anzu had thought it was a simple social call up until Mai began to unveil her true incentives.

"_I know that you miss him," Mai said to her privately. The two women were sitting across from each other, but Mai had leaned over to take Anzu's hand in a gesture of comfort. She was not the vixen that she been, but was dressed more modestly and while her hair still tumbled over her shoulders wildly and she still held the same beauty, she seemed like an entirely different person. "I was his apprentice and now that I've had time to appreciate things more, I miss him, as well. I know how you felt towards him and how he felt towards you...it's time that you simply let go of this fear that you have and go see him."_

"_What fear?" Anzu withdrew her hand. "I don't – "_

"_Anzu," Mai interrupted gently, "trust me on this. I know why you refuse to talk about him or any of the other men. Other people are not as perceptive, but I lived with you four for long enough that I know too well how close you were to them. And I also know the fear of loving someone and can recognize the signs. Why couldn't you just allow him into your heart, even just a little bit?"_

"_I have," she replied softly, "and that's my biggest issue...that I let him inside at all."_

Breathing in deep, Anzu took the handle of the door and collected what little courage she had and pushed it open. Inside, it was lit up with a few candles and she immediately noticed how spacious it was. She quietly closed the door behind her and her eyes traveled to the far end of the room where Bakura was peering up in a cupboard of jars that held collections of stones and other minerals.

Without looking behind him, he said, "I told you I'm not interested, Seto," and his tone was tense, as if preparing for an unwanted fight. Anzu's body began to tremble at the sudden horror of her situation. She stumbled backwards, towards the door, intending to flee out of the forest towards Siruean and away from everyone. However, with an exasperated sigh, Bakura had turned around to face his offender and froze. Anzu had just backed into the door and had been fumbling for the knob when his eyes touched hers. She, too, stilled her movements and was caught by his startled gaze. His face was as she remembered it, if only slightly more drawn than usual. It had been years since she had last looked upon him, although he had been able to see her without her knowledge. She swallowed quickly and then withdrew from the door, taking a hesitant step towards him. "How are you doing...Bakura?" she queried and she could hear the tremble in her voice.

"I don't understand," he said dumbly. "What's going on?"

Anzu had rehearsed her story to Mai several times to make certain that she knew what she was going to say, full of explanations, full of regret and sorrow and every other emotion that she had been feeling in the past three years. Instead, she found that the words and sentences were breaking down in her mind and only a few of the words seemed to remain. "I'm here for you...I love you."

This seemed to confuse him even more and he appeared as though he were struggling to find something to say. Anzu waited, feeling slightly panic-stricken the longer he remained silent. She had never seen him in such a wordless state. For her, it may as well have been a rejection. Of course, she had thrown it on him without any explanation as she had intended. In her mind, she had imagined a euphoric response rather than this dumbstruck silence. Hastily, she said, "I rejected Isis's offer...and I'm not married to Yami. I've been in Siruean, at my family's palace."

"No, I know that...but why? Why did you not let Isis perform the spell on you?" He frowned and then he seemed more like himself as he asked somewhat harshly, "Why haven't you contacted me?"

"Because of what you...and I...said...I didn't know – "

"I wasn't going around doing stupid heroic shit for nothing," Bakura exploded unexpectedly. Anzu blinked, somewhat offended and baffled at his sudden reaction. "It's not as though I wanted to go around being the good guy. I wasn't trying to prove anything to _Yami_, that's for damn sure, and Malik and Seto already knew why I was acting like a complete dumbass."

"But...you said..."

"Anzu," he sighed, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes, "think about who I was talking to at the time, will you? Your _fiancé_. Would it give me any pleasure at all to go up to him and say, as he's accusing me of things that, by the way, I'm rather fond of your future wife, mind if I steal her from you? No. He'd have run me out of Kraion and then I'd have to kill half of his soldiers and come barreling back into Kraion and frankly, I didn't know you were going to pop out of nowhere to hear that. As for what you said, we both know that you never meant that and I'm an ass, so of course it gave me satisfaction to see you regret your words."

Anzu stared at him. He opened his eyes and seeing that he had struck her speechless, gave a small smile and dropped his hand. He hesitated and then stepped towards her, taking her shoulders and peering down at her. She raised her eyes to his uncertainly. "Unfortunately," he said in a grim tone, "you're quite a bit more than just entertainment for me. It's too late for me to do anything about that now, though."

"I missed you," she said, tears pooling in her eyes. She sniffled and drew close to him, circling her arms around him and pressing her face against his chest. He released a relieved breath and encompassed her in his arms, his hand burying in her hair as he rested his cheek upon her head. "I never stopped thinking about you, it was awful...I would think about you all day and then go to bed and dream about you. It was an endless cycle. And sometimes it seemed like I was hallucinating you."

"Oh?" Bakura mouthed a swear word to himself above her head. He decided that small detail he would keep from her for now.

"I'm glad that Mai convinced me to come here...And that Otogi agreed to show us how to get here. Don't be mad at him." She withdrew, wiping her face. "He was just doing what he thought was best for me."

"For me, too, it seems," he said with a smile. He brushed her hair from her face and framed it with his hands. "You've been haunting me these past three years, as well, you know." Through her tears, she offered a watery smile. He leaned down and kissed her softly, breathing in her tender scent. When he withdrew, she buried her face against his chest again and he held her for some time until there was a knock on the door and Malik popped his head in, glancing at them and then casting a jealous look to Bakura. "Oh, fuck off," he muttered to his friend.

"Stop hogging her," Seto said, appearing behind Malik. Anzu turned and then laughed. She quickly gave Seto a hug and then was enveloped by Malik's arms immediately afterward. Bakura scowled at their embrace and then looked to Seto instead. "Mai's in the cottage with her captain."

"Oh, so she's finally calling him that?"

"No," Seto answered, "but it's obvious."

Once they had returned to the cottage, Mai was sitting at the table, watching as Jounouchi struggled with finishing dinner, his tongue sticking out in concentration. She had an amused smile on her lips that immediately turned into a grimace when they entered the kitchen. She straightened and looked to Anzu's face and then beamed after a moment. "Did you take care of everything?" Anzu blushed and nodded. "Perfect!" She stood up and went to Bakura, raising an eyebrow at him as she glanced up at him. When he simply stared down at her with an indifferent expression, she asked, "Well? Don't you have something to say to me?"

"Yes, I suppose I do," Bakura admitted after a pause and looked at Jounouchi, who was evidently trying to ignore the entourage in the kitchen. Jounouchi's boy crush on Mai had always been obvious, but he had struggled with his loyalty to Yami and Mai's own sordid reputation. Nonetheless, it was clear that after the two siblings had mended that particular rift in their relationship that Jounouchi's reservations towards the princess had eased somewhat. "Take pity on him already. He's been waiting for over ten years."

An odd thing happened then. Mai, who had done her fair share of sinful things, began to blush, a pink settling over her cheeks. Rather than lowering her eyes demurely like Anzu had, however, she pursed her lips in agitation, looking more than a bit uncomfortable with the conversation. Jounouchi treated the topic somewhat better, casting a sheepish look to Bakura and then burning himself on a pan, which caused him to begin to swear. "Ah," Bakura said with a smirk, "you've already been giving him some attention, have you?"

"Shut up," Mai muttered, dropping her gaze and crossing her arms defensively.

Bakura could tell that the topic was sensitive and based on Jounouchi's still figure, he let it drop. However, he could deduce a few things from Mai's behavior. Her sudden modesty was not simply because of her own change in actions after nearly destroying the world with her use of the Dark Arts, but likely from some warm affection from the captain. Jounouchi was clearly not one to take control, especially when it seemed that Mai was tentatively opening herself up to him. Knowing Mai too well, Bakura was unsurprised to see that, even after as many years as Mai had to work on herself, she was still adjusting to a life of normality. He, too, felt the hesitation, expecting rejection.

"What the hell are you doing?" Malik's voice broke through his thoughts and he turned his gaze to where Jounouchi was standing at the stove with Malik staring down at the pan.

"Did I not do it right?" the blonde asked blankly.

"Does it look right to you?"

"Doesn't look wrong," Jounouchi murmured, staring down at it for a long time.

Malik and Jounouchi stared at each other and then Malik asked, "How do you survive?"

"My sister cooks for me."

"Are you hearing this?" Malik demanded, looking to Mai and pointing at him. "He can't even cook!"

"Well, he's a lot nicer than you are," Mai grumbled.

Malik opened his mouth, seemed unsure of what to say and closed his mouth and shoved Jounouchi away from the stove and fixed the mess. Jounouchi scratched the back of his head, looking to the Kraion princess for some sort of explanation, but she merely sent him a small, reassuring smile. For the first time in a long time, it seemed like everyone was content. There were no draining demons, no barriers, and only companionship. When Otogi burst in rather worriedly, as though Anzu had been blasted away by Bakura, he was immediately attacked by Malik, who went on a long tirade of having his trust betrayed. Otogi had the grace to look shamefaced, but Mai inserted herself into the conversation. The others watched, eating their dinner, as Mai and Malik became involved in a heated argument that ended with both snorting and then ignoring each other for the remainder of the night. After Bakura made some minor fixes in the cottage, everyone retired to their bedrooms.

"Bakura?" Anzu asked that night, lying quietly beside him in bed.

"Hm?"

"...thank you."

"What?" he mumbled, turning to look at her in the dark. She smiled and took his hand, resting her cheek against his knuckles.

"For keeping me at the cottage," she explained. "We never would have gotten this far or this close if I hadn't stayed at the cottage..."

"Should I thank you for putting up with me then?"

"Maybe," Anzu said teasingly. He chuckled and then drew her closer. She nuzzled against him and rested her head against his chest, releasing a long sigh before she drifted off to sleep. Bakura remained awake for a long moment, saying nothing and simply gazing at the female in his arms. He stroked her skin absent-mindedly, absorbed in his thoughts. He had never thought that she would ever return to him and he certainly hadn't thought that he would ever have the chance to have this type of happiness. Ever since he had been ruled by the vengeance of his people, he was certain that nothing else would exist for him. He closed his eyes and briefly pressed his lips to her forehead. She probably was unaware, but for him, nothing else mattered other than her. She was the one precious element in his life, the only constant. He had experienced life without her and it was impossible and near life-threatening for him to exist without her.

_If it's an addiction_, he thought, _then so be it. I would rather die than be without her._ He relaxed his head back upon the window and after watching her slumber for a few more moments, he was lulled into sleep by her soft, deep breaths.

_Epilogue_

Yami flinched as a firework went off nearby him. There was a joyous cry from the surrounding children as the sorcerer manipulated the firework in the sky and as the sparkles came showering down upon the ground, they turned into silvery water droplets that landed on the children's faces. They screamed with glee and the older man laughed at their delight. Yami smiled before he turned away from them, twining his way through the crowds at the festival. It had been some time since he had last visited Siruean, but it was clear that the festival held for the sorcerers was a successful one. In Kraion, there was still a good deal of misgivings regarding those with the arts, but it seemed that the Siruean people were eager to embrace their sorcerer counterparts.

Yami passed many people, none of whom gave him a second glance or seemed to even recognize him. The power of anonymity was pleasing, as Yami was far too accustomed to being stared at and bowed to in his own kingdom. There was an explosion above him and he paused, turning his face to the dark sky as it was lit up with a bright shower of sparkles. The light danced on his face as he watched the sparkles twinkle far above him in the sky. He closed his eyes briefly and then continued on towards the center of the festival.

At the center of the grounds was a large dais where the king of Siruean was sitting with his wife, laughing and taking questions from his people and joining them in the merriment with a jester that poked fun at his royal masters. Yami chuckled as the jester danced around the king, seeming to act out some sort of play that had the drunken crowd crowing with laughter. He watched patiently and once it had ended, he approached the dais. "Ah! Yami," the king greeted with a smile, offering a hand to him. "It's good to see you. Anzu told me you would be here."

"Thank you," Yami said, inclining his head.

"I believe this young lady is your companion?" he indicated the girl that was perched on the side of the dais casually. Yami appeared relieved and nodded. "She arrived just some time ago, saying that she got separated for you. Of course, I wasn't going to simply turn her away. Anzu is here somewhere, with that man of hers...Probably forcing him to enjoy the festivities," he muttered gruffly. The matter of his daughter with a strange man was obviously one that he was still becoming accustomed.

"I believe they're up in the tower, dear," his wife said from behind him. The king, who had his hand on Yami's shoulder, turned with a puzzled look. She pointed up at the sky. "Look, another firework!" Indeed, as they turned their gaze upward, another shower of colourful sparks was filling the sky. "The tower is just up ahead, Yami," she said as her husband was distracted. "I believe Anzu and Bakura are there."

"Thank you," he repeated, bowing his head once more. As he escaped the dais, the girl jumped from her relaxed position and he offered his hand to her. She took it with a smile and the two of them carved a path through the crowds of people. As they arrived at the tower, Yami glanced upward and saw another shot of fireworks erupt from the top of the tower. He smiled and with a gentle tug, he pulled the girl into the tower and together they ascended the staircase that wound up the tower to the top. As he opened the door to the top floor, where a collection of boxes were set up and a stand, he spotted Anzu standing next to Malik, both of them digging through the boxes. At the stand, Seto and Bakura were setting up another firework. "I wasn't aware that you were in charge of fireworks."

"Call it an experiment of ours," Seto said, frowning at Yami's intrusive manner. He blinked, noticing the girl next to him. "Ah...?"

"Yami, I'm glad you made it," Anzu chirped from the boxes. "Hurry, close the door! We don't want any smoke getting down there." Yami closed the door behind him and as Anzu approached him, she also took note of his companion. "Oh! I remember you telling me you had someone that you wanted us to meet when I wrote to you about the festival." Bakura had turned slightly to watch the three interact, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, this is her," Yami said, turning his gaze to the female.

"Hello, nice to meet you," the girl said, bowing. She had a darker skin tone, more akin to Malik's, and her hair was a dark chocolate colour. "My name is Mana. I'm a sorceress from Hoshäi. I've been helping Isis in Kraion with integrating the arts back into the kingdom."

"She is also, ah...my fiancée," Yami added somewhat awkwardly.

"Fiancée?" Malik repeated, sounding mildly surprised.

"Yeah," Mana answered in a slightly defensive tone. "Do you have something to say about it?"

"Uh – " Malik sounded taken aback, so Anzu hastily intervened.

"I'm happy for both of you," she said, smiling warmly at Mana, who instantly relaxed. "I already know that you two will do great together." She looked from Mana to Yami, her smile widening slightly. He gave a small smile in return, as though relieved that she had interrupted Malik's not-so-tactical response. "Come! Enjoy the fireworks. The view is wonderful from here."

She poured them some tea that had been warming over a small collection of stones that Seto had been keeping warm and then she returned to where Bakura was standing. Yami held Mana's hand in hers as she blew on her tea. The two of them watched as Seto released another firework into the air and then Yami turned his gaze to where Anzu and Bakura were standing. Bakura was watching him and their eyes met briefly before, with a slight tilt of his mouth, the sorcerer turned away. Bakura pulled Anzu a bit closer to his side and she rested her head against his shoulder. Yami smiled at the subtle affectionate gesture and then turned his gaze to watch the glowing yellow sparks float in the sky.

On the ground, there was a collective cheer from the people as the glistening sparks exploded, one by one, into shimmering bright blue strings of light.

_Finis_

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DIS: Yay! It seems I'm more able to update when I shove a time limit in my face. I am glad to have finally finished this, it's been long overdue and when I get time, I will go through it and edit it. In the meantime, however, please leave me a review giving me some last feedback. Criticism is always encouraged and embraced. So, for now, ciao! Hope to see you next story :)


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